Shifting Shadows
by Pandora151
Summary: Six months ago, Anakin Skywalker brought balance to the Force. Six months ago, the Sith were defeated. Six months ago, everything changed. The Force, however, is nothing if not unpredictable.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** This is the official multi-chapter sequel to another one of my fics, Drifting Starlight. If you haven't read it, please go read that before reading this story! Trust me, you don't want to get spoiled for what happens in Drifting Starlight by reading this.

I'm super excited to be starting this, and I really hope you enjoy this story!

* * *

Returning home after so long felt like a cooling balm on her fractured nerves. Asajj Ventress lived and breathed the air of Dathomir, but she only realized it upon returning to her home planet after the end of the war and the Sith Master's death.

The Jedi were broken by Order 66, but they remained strong and _alive_. Kenobi and Tano had both promised her change within the Order, but she knew that the change would take time. Regardless, she knew she wouldn't return to the Jedi or to the Sith. She was…something else now, and she accepted that.

Mother Talzin welcomed her back with open arms, and the sheer sight of it was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She had not returned to Dathomir since she was a child, since before she was taken by Hal'Sted to Rattatak.

Since her arrival, Ventress readjusted to life on Dathomir. The Dark Side of the Force felt clear and _alive_ , and the feeling of it was unlike anything she ever experienced before. She never felt such happiness before, such clarity. Everything felt so _right_.

There was a part of her, small as it was, that doubted everything. It doubted that this peace was going to last. It doubted her place in Dathomir's society. The cynic inside of her questioned why all the Nightsisters allowed her to return, without really knowing or understanding what she has become.

Mother Talzin was awfully forgiving of Ventress' own transgressions and was willing to help her right her wrongs. Ventress was still waiting for the catch, for something to go completely wrong.

About six months after she returned to Dathomir, Ventress walked out of her dwelling in pursuit of Mother Talzin. Something in the Force was _stirring_. It was faint, but it was enough to make her feel uncomfortable and slightly twitchy. After tossing and turning for most of the night, Ventress decided to seek out Mother Talzin for some answers.

The Mother's door was closed, which was extremely unusual. Even more surprising was the two distinct male voices that she could hear filtering through the door, along with Mother Talzin's. Both males sounded like Nightbrothers, though she did not know exactly who they were. She immediately cloaked herself within the depths of the Force and continued to listen.

Perhaps this was her answer.

* * *

"It's like—" Ahsoka cut herself off, struggling to come up with the words to describe what she has realized about Anakin and Obi-Wan.

"It's like they act friendly to each other," she began, and then leaned back in the chair. "And it sometimes feels like how it did before. Maybe they do it because they're both used to it, and it's just the easier thing to do?"

"Do you sense any animosity between them?" Nira asked, long fingers steepled together. "Or did Master Kenobi say anything that might imply anything?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "It just…it's not the same as it was before," she answered. "It's not really _wrong_ , but it just feels strange, I guess."

The Rodian mind healer nodded. "What Skywalker did was very wrong, though. You said that yourself, multiple times," she replied.

"I know I did," Ahsoka sighed. "I just sometimes wish things were the way they were before." She looked down at her lap, tense but focused.

"That makes sense," Nira said. "It's natural, Ahsoka, for you to wish for these things. A lot has changed for you, and you wish for the stability that was there in the past. But you are doing the right thing by acknowledging these feelings and trying to work through them, instead of stuffing them somewhere far away in your mind."

"Can I ask—Master Kenobi hasn't talked about…you know?" Ahsoka asked.

Nira's gaze lowered a little before she looked at Ahsoka again. "Master Che insists on forcing him to come to our appointments, but I'd rather he come of his own volition. Otherwise it would not be helpful for him," she explained. "He only came once, before you both left for Ilum."

Ahsoka resisted the urge to sigh and instead leaned back in her chair again. So Obi-Wan was skipping mind healer appointments. Again. Why should she even expect otherwise?

It was beginning to bother her that he hadn't spoken to anyone about what happened in Palpatine's office or about Anakin, even. Whenever she brought it up with him, he would either quickly change the topic or just not say anything at all. She asked Master Qui-Gon a few times, but he was having the same amount of success that she was.

"I see," Ahsoka answered. "I'll try to ask him to schedule an appointment."

"You don't need to do that, Padawan," Nira said with a faint smile. "Give him time. Time heals all wounds, even those as deep as Master Kenobi's."

Ahsoka stood. "Thank you, Nira," she said. "May the Force be with you."

The healer nodded. "And you, Ahsoka."

* * *

Within the depths of the Force, Qui-Gon Jinn meditated. Time passed much differently here than it did in corporeality, but the environment of the Force was heavily influenced by the universe itself.

Qui-Gon spent a lot of time by himself, watching over Obi-Wan and Anakin and Ahsoka, and the galaxy as a whole. Manifesting himself as a ghost to visit them took a lot more effort than he wished, but he found it easier to speak to anyone who was willing to listen. Just being able to help them overcome their struggles is a blessing in itself.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself to float in the Force for some time. Before he could do just that, there were footsteps behind him. Qui-Gon uncrossed his legs and pulled himself to his feet before turning around.

 _"Everything will change,"_ the Son said, without greeting, without explanation.

"Change how?" Qui-Gon asked, feeling a sort of nervousness stirring within him.

The Son paused and then smirked at him. _"My father and sister may deem this as balance,"_ he continued, motioning around them, _"but this is not true balance. True balance must have equal parts Light and Dark,"_ the Son said.

The three Force beings—The Father, Son, and Daughter—all had a habit of not directly answering questions whenever Qui-Gon would ask them. He hoped that by now he would be able to communicate with them more easily, but it felt as though these beings didn't care much for answering his questions. They were more focused on the Force itself.

"What is happening?" Qui-Gon asked.

 _"Let's just say that the darkness must rise again,"_ the Son answered. Before Qui-Gon could say anything else, the Son transformed into some sort of a winged beast and flew off into the distance.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm going to try to stick to a biweekly updating schedule, so Chapter 1 will be up (hopefully) on July 13th!

Please let me know what you think! Thank you :)


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N** : Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! It means a lot to me.

* * *

 _"Ahsoka, where are you?"_ Obi-Wan asked as soon as she picked up her commlink. She couldn't exactly hear the irritation in his voice, but she could easily sense it through their bond.

Ahsoka smiled and then spoke. "Sorry, Master, I don't think I can make it to Anakin's. Barriss and I have this _huge_ project due tomorrow for Galactic History," she answered, trying not to laugh. It was a lot easier to lie to Anakin than to Obi-Wan, but it was still definitely possible. Somewhat.

Obi-Wan didn't reply, though Ahsoka could hear the static through his commlink.

 _"Why do I feel like there's a catch, Ahsoka?"_ he asked.

Ahsoka shook her head, though she knew he couldn't see her. "No catch, Master. You can ask Master Piell about it. It's about Tython and the beginnings of the Je'daii Order," she answered innocently.

Obi-Wan sighed. _"Oh, alright,"_ he said after another pause. _"There should be some dinner in the cooling unit. I'll see you later."_

"Tell Anakin I said hi!" she replied before clicking off her commlink.

Ahsoka sat down on the couch of the apartment. Being alone in the apartment used to be a rarity when she was Anakin's Padawan, but now…it was just her and Obi-Wan.

She didn't exactly mind, but when Master Qui-Gon was actually here, the apartment felt so lively and full, and now it was empty.

She shook her head.

"Right, I guess I'll get started on that project," she said, then laughed lightly. She reached for the remote and turned on the holo.

* * *

Obi-Wan was nervous, as much as he didn't want to admit it. Ahsoka wasn't coming, even though she was the one who suggested this dinner with Anakin and Padmé in the first place. He was fairly sure that this was some sort of elaborate set-up on her part, and part of him wanted to get back in his speeder and drive back to the Temple. It would be so easy to do that.

He and Ahsoka met with Anakin and Padmé a few times over the past few months, usually for lunch or dinner. Ahsoka was always there to diffuse any tension, though Padmé missed a few of the meetings because of Senate work or morning sickness.

But now that Ahsoka wasn't coming, he didn't know what to expect.

Obi-Wan reached the front door of Anakin and Padmé's apartment and paused. It wasn't too late; he could still turn around and leave. He could tell them that the Council called him back for something.

No.

Qui-Gon wouldn't want him to do that. Obi-Wan knew things were different; he knew that Qui-Gon was watching him, hoping that he would adjust better to everything that happened.

Obi-Wan knocked on the door quickly, and moments later, it swung open to reveal Anakin.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin greeted with a smile. "Where's Ahsoka?" he asked, looking around for his former apprentice.

"She couldn't make it," Obi-Wan replied. "She has a big project due tomorrow, apparently."

"Oh." Anakin deflated slightly, still leaning against the door. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, slightly amused.

"May I come in?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Oh!" Anakin exclaimed, then moved out of the way to let Obi-Wan in. "Sorry about that," he said as Obi-Wan walked in.

Obi-Wan nodded, then looked around the foyer. "Is Padmé not here?" he asked, voice colored with surprise. No Ahsoka _and_ no Padmé? He hadn't spoken to Anakin by himself for a very long time, not since…

"No, she's stuck in some meetings at the Senate," Anakin answered, looking exactly as uncomfortable as Obi-Wan felt.

"Right," Obi-Wan said. He shouldn't have come. This was a bad idea, and he knew it from the very start. He distantly wondered if he could come up with some sort of excuse and leave now.

"It shouldn't take her that long, though," Anakin said. "Come on; we can wait in the living room."

Obi-Wan followed quietly, though the Force was already stirring slightly in warning.

* * *

Anakin desperately wished that Padmé was home. She was _supposed_ to be here, to serve as a sort of buffer, to prevent the awkwardness from becoming too obvious. The dinner itself was Ahsoka's idea, but Padmé was the one who actually invited Obi-Wan and Ahsoka over. Ironically, neither Ahsoka nor Padmé were here.

"So," Anakin began, putting his commlink on the table next to him after sending another panicked message to his wife. "Do you want anything to drink? We have some tea, I think. And Padmé has a really nice collection of wines, or I can ask Threepio to make something if you want. Or I think I can—"

"Anakin." The sound, the _tone_ of it made the message clear enough, though Obi-Wan didn't need to say any more. Anakin needed to calm down. He breathed out slowly and reached into the Force for comfort.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "Water would be fine, Anakin," he answered, and Anakin nodded and escaped into the kitchen.

A few moments later, he returned with two glasses of water and handed one of them to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan nodded his thanks and took a long sip before putting the glass on the table next to him.

"So," Anakin said again, desperately trying to come up with something to say so that they didn't have to talk about the _thing_. "How's Ahsoka doing?" he asked.

"Good," Obi-Wan answered. "She's made a lot of progress with her jar'kai. She wants to try sparring with you at some point. I'm sure she would have asked today if she was able to make it."

"That's great!" Anakin enthused. "She must be so excited. I'll send her a message later tonight about sparring," he decided, leaning forward eagerly.

"She does miss you, you know," Obi-Wan responded before taking another sip of water.

They both lapsed into silence, and Anakin's nerves flared up again. What was taking Padmé so long? Anakin tangled his fingers in his lap, resisting the urge to pick at the fingers of his mech hand.

"How are you doing?" he asked finally. He heard bits and pieces of information from Ahsoka whenever she commed, but he didn't completely understand everything that she said.

"Better," Obi-Wan answered after a stretch of silence. "It's…I don't think I'll ever be the way I was before. I'm not…" He trailed off then breathed out a shaky laugh. "It's difficult to explain, but it's going to take time."

Anakin nodded, ignoring the twisting feeling in his stomach. He took a gulp of water and tried to come up with something else to say. His mind refused to cooperate, and the only thing he could think of was what he didn't want to talk about. He wasn't ready for that conversation.

"Has Master Qui-Gon come to see you?" Obi-Wan asked finally. He took another sip of water.

"Just once, a few weeks ago," Anakin said. He knew from Obi-Wan and Ahsoka that Master Qui-Gon was a Force Ghost now but seeing him with his own two eyes was a bigger shock than he expected.

Obi-Wan nodded then swallowed heavily. "Anakin," he began, almost hesitantly. "Anakin, you know that if none of this happened, if Master Qui-Gon never _came_ here in the first place, you—" He cut himself off harshly and almost seemed to choke on his words.

Anakin's stomach turned completely into knots. No, this was _wrong_.

"Obi-Wan?" he asked tentatively. Obi-Wan's eyes were closed tightly, as though he was trying to regain some sort of control.

"You would have joined the Sith," Obi-Wan said finally after opening his eyes again.

Cold shame curled deep in Anakin's stomach, and he looked down at the floor.

"There's no knowing that," Anakin whispered, though he _knew_. Palpatine had orchestrated everything from the beginning, and Anakin was walking directly into his trap. Hell, Anakin _did_ walk right into his trap, even when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were there and watching. He watched Palpatine hurt Qui-Gon and watched him _kill_ Obi-Wan. Anakin just stood there and watched it all happen.

"Why not?" Obi-Wan asked, right eyebrow raised. The gesture was so familiar, yet so frustrating. "You had no problem joining him even when Qui-Gon was here. You had no problem turning your back on all your years of Jedi training, seemingly on a _whim_ , without even talking to me or Ahsoka or Qui-Gon about it. What else am I supposed to think, Anakin?"

"Why do you think all of that happened?" Anakin asked, quickly surging to his feet. Something inside of him was burning, and it felt _good_. "You left me alone, Obi-Wan!"

" _Alone_?" Obi-Wan echoed, voice colored with disbelief. "I was here, Anakin. Ahsoka was here. Master Qui-Gon, who was not even familiar with this time, was here. He had faith in you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, then exhaled slowly. "We all did."

Anakin shook his head. "Don't say that, Obi-Wan!" he exclaimed, feeling Obi-Wan reel in surprise in the Force. The grim satisfaction that rushed through him felt warm in his stomach. It felt _right_. "You and Ahsoka and Master Qui-Gon were off doing your own thing without me. You left me alone, and everything was falling apart! What else was I supposed to do?"

Obi-Wan was now on his feet, eyes wide. "Besides confiding everything to a Sith Lord?" he asked, then shook his head immediately. "No, the Sith Master himself?"

"He was _there_ for me!" Anakin shouted. "He was there for me from the day I first arrived on Coruscant, from the very day Master Qui-Gon died and left me with you."

Obi-Wan blinked as the all the color in his face drained out. "I see," he murmured, then closed his eyes. He was trembling slightly, and there was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, though the room was pleasantly cool. Anakin's heart sank to his stomach, and he felt suddenly very cold.

"Obi-Wan—" Anakin started, suddenly unsure.

"Why did you leave his side, then?" Obi-Wan whispered. "It looks like you were perfectly happy as his apprentice."

"Because I made a _mistake_!" Anakin snapped. His heart was beating furiously in his chest. "He _killed_ you, Master. I—" He swallowed, trying to come up with the words to explain what happened. "I know it's attachment, but I couldn't just…"

"Why didn't you realize it before, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked softly. He was shaking more visibly now, and his Force presence seemed to waver too, as though it was struggling to stay in balance. "I can't just…can't—"

The door swung open, and a visibly pregnant Padmé walked in. "I'm so sorry that I'm late," she said. "I got held up at a committee meeting, and then I—" She cut herself off as she looked up at the scene before her. "What happened?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "I'm sorry; this was a mistake. I'll leave now," he murmured. He opened his eyes and began to move forward, still trembling slightly.

"Wait, Obi-Wan," Padmé said. "I don't know what—"

"My apologies, Senator," Obi-Wan said. He nodded at her and glanced at Anakin for a brief moment before turning around and walking out the door. Anakin heard the front door close as Obi-Wan left the apartment.

"Padmé, I—"

She held up a hand, and Anakin deflated, though his stomach was completely tied into knots, and he felt as though he made yet another mistake.

"Anakin," she sighed, then walked over to the couch where Obi-Wan was sitting and sat down heavily. "Was that necessary?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes just slightly.

"It just happened, Padmé; I didn't mean for any of this to happen," he said.

"I know it's difficult, Ani," she replied, then yawned. "But you'll need to talk to him about it, and you can't allow yourself to get so…defensive about what you did. You know what you did was wrong."

Anakin closed his eyes, and just for a moment, he felt like he was back in that office, staring down at Obi-Wan's dead body.

"I know," he whispered. "Sometimes I just…I know it was wrong, but sometimes it feels like that was the only thing I _could_ have done. I know now, obviously, that there were other options, but I just…I was narrow-minded," he said, then shook his head. "Seems like I still am narrow-minded."

She nodded slightly before standing. "Let's eat dinner, and then you can tell me how those renovations are going for the shop," she proposed.

Anakin nodded, then followed his wife into the kitchen.

* * *

Heart racing in his chest, Obi-Wan sat down in the driver's seat of his speeder. His stomach was churning with nausea, and he felt more off-kilter than he had in _weeks_. He struggled to take a few deep breaths and reached to the Force for comfort.

Obi-Wan leaned forward and rested his forehead against the cool glass of the speeder.

He shouldn't have said anything. Obi-Wan knew that he and Anakin were not ready to talk about what happened. Their relationship felt strained from damage and abuse, and part of Obi-Wan wanted to fix it. Another part of Obi-Wan, the more cynical part of him, knew that it would require him to forgive.

He wasn't ready to do that, and he didn't know when he would be ready.

It's not that he wasn't forgiving Anakin out of spite, but because of Anakin's mistakes, Obi-Wan will not be the same. Sure, he was healthier than before all of this happened, but there were still migraines, there was still exhaustion, and there was still this feeling of…illness.

Master Che explained it to him multiple times. The Healers have never seen anyone return from the dead, and they don't know what to expect. There were just as many ups as there were downs, and it was difficult for him to predict what each day would bring.

Obi-Wan breathed out slowly and lifted his head. It was time to go home.

About half an hour later, he opened the door to the apartment to see Ahsoka sitting on the couch, intently watching a holodrama. He immediately realized that she had no project due tomorrow.

"Master!" she greeted, eyes wide with surprise and thinly veiled concern. "You got back earlier than I expected."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I suppose," he replied, not really wanting to talk about…anything. "I'll see you in the morning."

Before Ahsoka could say anything else, he turned away and walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Obi-Wan sat down heavily on his bed and stared at the wall for a long moment before leaning down to take off his boots.

He felt completely exhausted, but sleep seemed to be too far away for him to reach. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours. At some point, he heard Ahsoka turn off the holo and go to her room. He felt her Force presence drift off into sleep, but he still felt completely awake.

Obi-Wan waited another few more minutes before sitting up again. Maybe if he meditated, he would be able to fall asleep more easily. He settled into a cross-legged position and closed his eyes once again.

* * *

The door opened.

Nira looked up to see Master Kenobi walking into her office, looking a bit sheepish.

"So," she began, widening her eyes _just_ slightly, "are you here to talk about your Padawan or yourself?"

Master Kenobi exhaled slowly, and Nira could see how stiffly he was holding himself. His Force presence was tightly wrapped around himself and the shields surrounding him were stronger than durasteel.

"I…" He looked down, as though he was considering just turning around and leaving. She wouldn't put it past him. Master Che told her that he's done exactly that quite a few times, even in the past few weeks.

"Master Che is on leave," he said.

Nira nodded. "I know; she told me before she left," she replied. Officially, Master Che was on leave. Unofficially, she went back to some of the medical stations that were used for the war to oversee the process of converting these stations to proper hospitals for more general use.

"If you have time, I just have a few questions," he said after a long pause. "I would ask Master Che, but she's not here."

Nira nodded. "I have some time right now," she said before standing up from her desk and walking towards one of the patient rooms.

"No, wait, I just wanted to ask if—"

"When are you going to stop lying to yourself?" Nira asked, turning around to face him. "Do you realize how worried your Padawan is about you? Do you realize how worried the _Council_ is about you? Do you realize how worried Master _Che_ is worried about you?" She took a deep breath.

"You have a choice, Obi-Wan," she said more quietly. "We can go back to…to playing this perverse _game_ you seem to enjoy. You can continue avoiding this and wallowing about in your struggles."

Obi-Wan stood still, jaw clenched. He didn't say a word.

"Or you can let me help you," she finished. "That is your choice."

Obi-Wan's Force presence seemed to fold into itself even more. She didn't know exactly what was happening, what made him finally decide to come here _now_ , six months late. But it would be even more difficult to convince him to stay.

"If you do not want to make that choice," she said after another long pause, "then I must ask you to leave. I have other matters to attend to, Master Kenobi."

"I…" Obi-Wan closed his eyes, and for a moment, Nira could feel the exhaustion and uncertainty filtering through him. "Don't make me say it, Master Jasee. Please."

She shook her head.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes and breathed out. Nira's heart was racing in her chest. She wondered if she went too far.

"I need your help," he whispered, eyes shining. "Please."

Nira swallowed, forcing her own tears back. Then she nodded slowly.

* * *

"So," Nira said once they were settled in one of her patient rooms, "before I do anything, I'd like to know why you're here. Not what Master Che believes or what my thoughts are, but why _you_ decided to come here today."

Obi-Wan didn't reply for a few moments. Nira wondered if he was just going to stand up and leave, but he remained seated.

"I couldn't sleep last night," he said finally. "After a few hours, I decided to meditate to help myself fall asleep." Obi-Wan frowned slightly, eyes somewhere far away. "I had a vision, of sorts. I don't remember what it was, but I know it was terrible."

Nira nodded, then looked down at her datapad. "You've had visions all your life, correct?" she asked softly.

"Yes, but nothing like this, Master Jasee. I always remember them," he answered. "And when I came to, I…" He stopped, as though he didn't really know what to say.

Then his shields loosened slightly, and he trembled as most of them came down, one by one. Nira reached out and quickly examined his Force presence.

"You're having a migraine," she realized, then remembered exactly what that meant. "You should be in the Halls, Master Kenobi. I know that Master Che isn't here, but they can help you."

He shook his head gingerly.

"That vision, whatever it was, is important. I need your help to find out what it is, among other things," he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Something is coming, Master Jasee," he whispered. "And I…I need to be prepared."

"If I agree to this, Master Kenobi, it will put your mind under a lot more strain than it is right now. Yes, you've rebuilt your shields and everything that Palpatine destroyed, but I'm sure Master Che told you that your mind is fragile," she explained. "I can't reverse any healing that you've had over the past six months. I am a Healer, first and foremost."

"I know," Obi-Wan said. "But there is something coming. The Force is telling me that much."

Nira sighed. "Need I remind you what happened to your former Padawan because of his visions?"

Obi-Wan's face immediately went blank and his Force presence closed off, now perfectly still. The shields were completely _perfect_. Not strong, but they had the outward appearance of tranquility, regardless of what truly lay within.

Nira shook her head. "Don't close yourself off," she admonished. "If you truly want me to help you, you must _let_ me."

The shields loosened again, and for a brief moment, agony flooded her senses. She breathed, letting the shock of the pain dissipate into the Force.

"What happened to Anakin was due to his attachment to the Senator, and because he didn't ask any Jedi for help," Obi-Wan said. "I don't intend on doing anything drastic. I just want to be prepared."

"Be prepared for what, Master Kenobi?" Nira asked softly. "The Sith are _gone_. Skywalker made sure of that. The Force is balanced. You have a new Padawan, you can speak to your Master even though he has passed into the Force. You are still recovering; you don't _need_ to put yourself under this much stress unnecessarily."

Obi-Wan stared at her for a long moment. "Am I overreacting?" he asked quietly.

"There's no way of knowing for sure right now," she said.

He chuckled dryly. "When I was a Padawan, Qui-Gon always told me to focus on the here and now," he explained, "even now it seems I haven't completely learned that lesson."

She shook her head. "It's not an easy thing to do, Obi-Wan," she responded.

"I know."

* * *

"What exactly happened last night? Obi-Wan won't talk about it," Ahsoka asked.

She heard Anakin sigh through her commlink.

 _"We tried to talk about what happened, but things just sort of escalated,"_ Anakin answered. _"I'll try to call Obi-Wan later today; I can't just leave things like how they were."_

Ahsoka nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"I'm sorry I didn't come," she said. "I didn't actually have an assignment due; I was just hoping that…"

 _"I know."_ There was sympathy and understanding in his voice, and she found herself appreciating it.

She paused and sat down on the couch, distantly wondering where Obi-Wan was. They were supposed to spar once she came back from her classes, but she returned to an empty apartment. Ahsoka figured that since she had some time, she could call Anakin.

"How's the shop?" she asked.

 _"Good. It isn't too busy, but it's definitely made a mark in the Coruscanti marketplace,"_ he said. _"I've even got regular customers! Which is sorta weird, but I'm getting used to it."_ He sounded more excited now.

"I should come by sometime."

 _"That sounds great!"_ Anakin enthused. _"Oh, and Obi-Wan was saying that you've made a lot of progress with your jar'kai. We should spar sometime."_

"We should!" Ahsoka exclaimed. She hadn't sparred with Anakin in months, and she had no idea how she would do against him now.

The comm unit for the apartment beeped two times, indicating that there was a message in the inbox.

Ahsoka stood up and walked over to the unit to read the message. She read the message once, then a second time, before closing her eyes to seek reassurance from the Force.

 _"Snips?"_

Oh, right. She almost forgot that she was talking with Anakin.

"Sorry, I've gotta go, Anakin. I'll talk to you later?" she asked.

 _"Sure thing, Snips. It was great talking to you."_

"You too," she replied. She heard him click off, and she lowered her commlink and put it back on her belt.

* * *

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ahsoka asked, frustrated.

They were walking slowly back to the apartment. Obi-Wan was able to convince Bant to let him go back to the apartment to sleep off his migraine, and Ahsoka told her that she would contact her if anything went wrong.

"It just started this morning," Obi-Wan replied. Besides a slight pallor in his face, he looked perfectly normal, if a little exhausted. She wouldn't have realized anything was happening months ago, but she's learned a lot since becoming Obi-Wan's Padawan.

"I thought you wouldn't be getting them anymore."

"Ahsoka," Obi-Wan said, and he stopped walking. Ahsoka stopped, too, waiting for him to continue. "I had migraines before Master Qui-Gon died. They will not go away just because there is not as much damage in my mind as there was before," he explained.

"You're sure it's nothing?" she asked. "Master, I can't…"

"Honestly, I'm not sure, but the Healers ran all these tests to make sure," he said. "Medically speaking, it's a migraine. And it's not even as bad as the ones from…before."

Ahsoka nodded, and they both started walking again. "Just…tell me if you need something, Master. Don't close me off," she pleaded.

"I promised you that I'll be honest, Ahsoka," he replied. "I won't break that promise."

She nodded. "Thank you, Master," she said with a smile.

* * *

Ventress watched as the ship flew away, frowning. She didn't know exactly where the two Nightbrothers went and why, but she knew she _had_ to find out. The Force was telling her that much.

Something was coming, and she had no idea what it would do to her or to her family on Dathomir.

* * *

 **A/N** : The next chapter should be up in 1-2 weeks. Please let me know what you think; it really means a lot to me! :)


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Apologies for the delay! Real life has gotten the best of me yet again. Enjoy! :)

* * *

"My child."

Ventress turned around to see Mother Talzin watching her curiously. "Yes, Mother?" she asked, keeping her voice level.

"You crave for excitement, my dear Asajj," the Mother said, eyes sparkling. "I know you wonder what those Nightbrothers are doing. You must not worry about the things that are well out of your control."

"Yes, Mother," Asajj repeated, bowing her head just slightly. She wanted to protest, but she knew that if she spoke up now, then she would never learn about Mother Talzin's true intentions. She had to be patient.

"Don't worry, my dear," Mother Talzin purred, turning around to walk away. "This is all for Dathomir."

* * *

"Master Windu," Obi-Wan greeted, surprised to see the Korun Master standing at his door. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, opening the door a bit wider to allow Master Windu in.

"We need to talk," Mace replied.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Have a seat, then," he said, "Do you want tea? I was about to make some for myself."

Mace shook his head as he sat down. "Did Master Che clear you for missions before she left?" he asked, apparently not in the mood for small talk. His eyebrows were creased closer together than usual, and Obi-Wan felt a sense of worry from his Force presence.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said slowly. "What's happening, Master Windu?" he asked.

Mace paused and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, deep in thought.

"Master Windu?" Obi-Wan repeated, frowning.

"There are a few clone units that are unaccounted for, as I'm sure you know," Mace said carefully. "We're still trying to track down a lot of the ones who were on Kamino when Order 66 happened."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, I know," he replied. The clones on Kamino scattered very quickly after Order 66. Tracking them down has proven to be difficult for the Jedi. Since their chips were not removed, these clones may still pose a threat.

"Lightning Squadron was on Kamino during Order 66," Mace said finally, voice dry.

Obi-Wan blinked, surprised. "You never said anything," he said softly. "Ponds?"

Mace sighed and nodded. "He is still unaccounted for, which most likely means his chip is still active," he murmured.

Obi-Wan remembered Cody completely under the inhibitor chip's control, trying to shoot him in one of the hangars of the Jedi Temple. Obi-Wan didn't see him again after that until after he woke up from his coma and Cody had his chip taken out. Cody was now off-planet, on a mission to track down some of his missing brothers.

He couldn't imagine being in Mace's position, _knowing_ but not knowing.

"So, you want me to look for them?" Obi-Wan asked.

Mace's features twitched for a brief moment. "I sent someone out to find them about a month ago. I've lost contact with him about a week after he left," he explained. "I would like you and Ahsoka to find him and help him. I sense that something has happened."

"Who did you send?"

"Feemor."

"Feemor," Obi-Wan echoed, sitting back slightly. "I never told him that Qui-Gon was here. I…I _forgot_." He barely heard Mace say his name, but he kept talking, swept up in old emotion and mistakes. "I should have reached out to him _years_ ago, or at least told Qui-Gon to speak to him. Did he even _know_ that Qui-Gon was here?"

"Obi-Wan," Mace said, louder this time. "Stop it. You cannot fault yourself for Qui-Gon's mistakes. He should never have renounced Feemor as his padawan, and he should have contacted him when he arrived in this time. That is not your fault."

"But—"

"No," Mace interrupted. "Stop it."

Obi-Wan nodded sullenly, even though part of him wanted to protest. "About the mission, then," he said, deftly changing the topic, "where exactly did you send him?"

"The Outer Rim," Mace answered, "but his trail went cold on Tatooine. You'll have to start there and see what you can find out."

"I'll let Ahsoka know," Obi-Wan replied. "We'll leave tomorrow morning."

Mace nodded gratefully and stood up. "Thank you, Obi-Wan," he said, before smiling slightly and then walking away.

Alone in the apartment once again, Obi-Wan exhaled and looked up at the ceiling. "What have I gotten myself into?" he muttered, walking into the kitchen to start making another pot of tea.

* * *

"A mission?" Ahsoka asked, smiling instantly. Obi-Wan knew that she was itching to leave Coruscant for a while now. The last time they left Coruscant was to harvest Ahsoka's second lightsaber's crystal, just a few weeks after she became Obi-Wan's padawan.

"Of sorts," Obi-Wan replied, amusement coloring his voice just slightly. "Master Windu sent out a Jedi to search for Lightning Squadron a month ago, but his trail went cold. We're being sent out to search for him and help him."

"Where are we going?" she asked eagerly, almost unfazed by the somewhat vague nature of the mission's details.

"Tatooine," he answered.

Ahsoka paused almost mid-jump. "Why would the squadron go to Tatooine? There's literally nothing there," she murmured. "Anakin always said so, and when we went to Jabba's palace, it was just sand, sand, and more sand. I'm pretty sure there's still some sand in my boots, actually."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Well, you're not wrong about that," he said, distantly remembering his first trip to Tatooine in the midst of the Trade Federation's blockade on Naboo, over a decade ago. "That's where Master Feemor's trail went cold, though. We'll have to go there to start, at least."

She nodded. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow."

Ahsoka nodded again. "I have a few things to do before we leave," she said. "Is it alright if I…"

"Yes, of course. I have a few things to do as well," Obi-Wan replied. "I'll see you later."

She left with a rushed goodbye, and Obi-Wan exhaled and bowed his head slightly, looking down at the ground.

"Master Qui-Gon," he murmured. "If you…can hear me, I need your advice. It's selfish of me to ask, I know, but…" He trailed off, jumping slightly in his seat when his commlink started beeping.

He looked down at the message and raised an eyebrow. "Looks like I'll have to pack later," he commented as he walked out the door, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Master Billaba."

Depa looked up to see Obi-Wan Kenobi standing at the door of her sickroom, smiling gently. His Force presence was calm as usual, but there was something else to it, something almost…broken.

"Master Kenobi," she replied hoarsely.

He walked into the room and sat down at her bedside. "How are you?" he asked. "I realize that being away for so long must be jarring."

Depa nodded slowly, feeling another well of tears form in her eyes. "Everything's… _different_ ," she whispered. "It's been seven months, the war is over, Chancellor Palpatine is dead, and the Republic has…changed?" She didn't know all of the details. "And I've been hearing whispers about Qui-Gon Jinn, but Obi-Wan…that doesn't make _sense_."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "A lot has happened since you were last here," he said slowly. "I…Have the Healers told you anything?"

Depa shook her head. "They've been focused on my healing. My injuries are healed, thankfully, but I feel so…disconnected," she whispered. "No one has told me anything about what happened, Obi-Wan."

For a brief moment, uncertainty flickered across his features. He paused.

Depa looked at him carefully, trying to see what exactly changed, but it was difficult. It was so…hidden, under layers of Jedi calm and appearances. But it was clear to her now. Something changed with Obi-Wan.

"What happened to you?" she asked softly.

He blinked, then laughed lightly. "Am I truly that obvious?" he replied, though his discomfort was now more apparent.

Depa raised an eyebrow. He was trying to change the topic, to divert her attention away from whatever happened to him, but she was smarter than that.

After a moment, Obi-Wan nodded and deflated slightly in his chair.

"On a certain level, I understand what you're feeling now," he said finally. "Not quite to the extent that you are experiencing it, but…waking up to an entirely different world is _strange_ , isn't it?"

"Now you definitely need to tell me what happened, Obi-Wan," she replied.

"It's a long story," Obi-Wan said.

Depa shrugged. "Coincidentally, I have nowhere else that I need to be right now," she said.

Obi-Wan breathed out a laugh. "Alright," he said, and then began to tell her everything.

* * *

 _"Tatooine?"_ Anakin asked, voice colored with surprise.

"Yeah, I know," she replied. "I literally just finished cleaning out the sand from my boots from our first trip, and now we're going back there _again_."

Ahsoka heard Anakin laugh through the commlink.

 _"I'm so glad I won't be there, Snips,"_ he said after he finished laughing. _"Why are you going to Tatooine, though? It seems a bit far for a mission."_

"I don't think it's an official mission," she replied. "Master Windu sent someone out to look for Lightning Squadron, but they lost contact. He's sending us to see if we can find the guy he originally sent and help him."

 _"I see,"_ Anakin replied. She could distantly hear him fiddling with something…mechanical, though she couldn't exactly tell what it was. _"Anyone I know?"_ he asked.

Ahsoka frowned, trying to remember the name Obi-Wan mentioned. "Um…Master Feemor, I think?" she asked. "I never met him before."

Whatever Anakin was fiddling with went silent. _"There's something about that name that sounds familiar to me,"_ he said finally, _"but I have no idea. I don't think I met him either."_

Ahsoka shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I'll look into his records if Obi-Wan doesn't know him either," she replied.

 _"When are you leaving?"_

"Tomorrow morning," she answered. "I'll try to comm you whenever I can, but I don't know how good the range is on my commlink."

 _"No worries, Ahsoka,"_ Anakin replied. _"I'll try to meet with you when you come back."_ There was a louder sound in the background, and then Ahsoka could hear Padmé in the distance, saying something to Anakin.

 _"I've gotta go, Snips. Good luck on your mission,"_ Anakin said.

"Thanks, Master," she said, smiling slightly.

* * *

Depa's eyes were wide and teary. She wiped at them and tried to reach for the Force to release those emotions, but her connection to the Force was currently tenuous. She took a few calming breaths.

"That's a lot, Obi-Wan," she said finally.

He nodded gravely. "I'm still not completely myself, and it's likely that I won't ever be," he said, then smiled slightly. "But I'm getting there. I'm going on my first mission with Ahsoka tomorrow," he continued. "It's not exactly an _official_ mission, but it is a mission, at least."

Depa smiled and rubbed at her eyes again. "That's great, Obi-Wan," she said. "What was it like?"

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, confused.

"Dying," she whispered.

And just like that, Obi-Wan's face went blank for a moment before he stood up. "I think I've been here for too long; Ahsoka is probably wondering where I went," he said, completely ignoring her question. "My apologies, Depa."

She nodded. "Will you visit again?" she asked.

"Once Ahsoka and I return, I will," he promised.

Depa nodded again. "Thank you, Obi-Wan," she murmured. He smiled gently before turning around and leaving her alone.

Exhausted, Depa closed her eyes and let herself drift back to sleep.

* * *

"I'm so excited to finally get off Coruscant," Ahsoka said as she settled into the pilot's seat.

"Crave excitement, a Jedi does not," Obi-Wan said, imitating Master Yoda with a half-grin. Ahsoka immediately laughed; Obi-Wan's impression of Master Yoda sounded absolutely terrible because of his accent.

"I think we've spent a bit too long here, too," Obi-Wan said in his normal voice. "It's going to be a different change of pace for sure."

Ahsoka nodded and began to set the coordinates for Tatooine. "Do we know where on Tatooine we're going?" she asked.

"Apparently Feemor told Master Windu that he was going to Mos Espa to get some information, so we'll probably start there," Obi-Wan answered. He sat placed a bag of supplies in the back of the cockpit and then sat down in the copilot's seat.

"Mos Espa? Isn't that where Anakin's from?"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "You've done your research," he replied. "Anyways, yes, that's where Master Qui-Gon found him. I stayed behind on the ship while Qui-Gon went to Mos Espa. It's my first time there, too."

"Was he a slave?" Ahsoka asked softly.

Obi-Wan nodded. "It's difficult for him to talk about that part of his life. But I'm guessing a lot of what happened stems from that," he replied. He looked down at the controls, quickly checking Ahsoka's coordinates. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, Master," Ahsoka answered, reaching forward for the controls. She easily guided the ship out of the hangar and up towards the sky. Once they were clear of Coruscant's atmosphere, she put the ship into hyperspace and then sat back, satisfied.

Obi-Wan stood moments later and stretched. "I'm going to meditate for a bit. Let me know if you need anything," he said.

Ahsoka nodded and watched him walk out of the cockpit. She looked at the blue hyperspace lines and smiled again. _Finally_.

* * *

Depa took a deep breath and looked at the door in front of her. She was released from the Healers' a few hours ago, on the condition that she would rest and eat and come back to the Ward for appointments for the rest of the week.

She immediately went back to her quarters, only to discover that they were reassigned to someone else during her absence. She then went to the quartermaster, who apologized profusely and then told her that her new quarters will be ready in about five hours.

Depa didn't exactly want to alert too many people of her wakefulness; she was still adjusting, still trying to understand how everything has changed in about seven months.

Finally, she arrived in front of a door that she remembered from years ago. Her former Master had never moved out of his quarters, even years after she was Knighted. With a smile, she hit the buzzer.

Moments later, the door swung open, and Mace Windu stared at her, eyes wide. "Depa?" he breathed. There was shock and disbelief in his eyes.

Depa smiled, though there were already tears in her eyes, falling down. "Master," she whispered.

Mace stared for a long moment before he opened the door wider and allowed her in. "You…you're awake?" he asked.

Depa walked in to his quarters and looked around. It looked _exactly_ the same as it did before. It was good to see that some things hadn't changed. "You haven't changed at all, Master," she said finally.

"I know," Mace replied. "Has anyone told you what happened?"

She nodded. "The Healers brought Obi-Wan to me. I'm guessing they thought it would help me to hear it from someone who understands, at least on some level," she explained. "But there's something else that I wanted to ask you, Master."

"What is it?" Mace asked. She followed him to the kitchen and watched as he began making a pot of tea.

"Before I woke up, I felt some presence reaching out to me while I was in the bacta tank. It was what dragged me out of my coma and brought me back. It's the only reason I'm _alive_ now, Master," she explained. "I have to know—was it you?"

Mace's eyebrows furrowed together. "Depa, I haven't visited you in the past week. I have been trying to reach you whenever I did visit, but it never worked," he said.

"Who was it who reached out to me, then?" she asked. "It couldn't have been a Healer, could it?"

"I don't know, Depa. It's best if you ask the Healers," Mace replied. "Why are you so curious about this?"

"The Force is telling me that it's very important," she answered, and Mace nodded.

He poured the tea into two mugs and gave her one of them. Depa nodded her thanks and took a tentative sip. The tea was light and easy on her stomach. She sighed and sat down on the couch.

"I know you just woke up, Depa, but the Council would like you to come back once you're ready," he said.

Depa nodded slowly. This was a lot for her to take in. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, but the Force was clear about one thing: she needed to know who it was that brought her back.

* * *

"Ahsoka and Obi-Wan left for a mission," Anakin said, picking at his dinner with a fork. He didn't know how he felt about this. A part of him was worried that something was going to go wrong, but that made no sense. The mission, from what he heard at least, sounded simple enough.

Padmé hummed in response, chewing thoughtfully. "Did you speak to Obi-Wan before they left?" she asked after swallowing.

Anakin shook his head. He _wanted_ to, but…what was he supposed to say? He didn't quite know where things stood between him and Obi-Wan after their argument a few nights ago.

Padmé sighed. "I can't stand to see the two of you like this, Ani," she said. "I know this is a difficult situation, but you would both feel a lot better if you actually talk about what happened."

"I tried, Padmé," Anakin replied. "You saw what happened."

"Keep trying. You can't avoid this," she insisted.

Anakin sighed. "Well, they're both gone now. I guess I'll talk to him when they get back," he said.

Padmé nodded. "Good," she said, then took another bite of food. "Where did they go, anyways?"

"Tatooine," Anakin answered.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked.

Anakin shrugged before taking another bite of his food. He didn't know he felt about Obi-Wan and Ahsoka going to Tatooine. It shouldn't really matter that much. Tatooine was only his past, anyways. He didn't have anything left there; his mother was dead. But he couldn't help but feel like something was going to happen.

And if something did happen on Tatooine, there wouldn't be much he could do now to stop it from happening.

* * *

Ahsoka landed the ship a few miles outside of Mos Espa. She could sense the Jedi they were searching for, just barely. She couldn't exactly pinpoint where he was, but it was relieving to know that he hadn't left Tatooine.

"Where do you think he is?" she asked Obi-Wan as they got off the ship. She was immediately met with the light and heat of two suns shining down on scorching sand. Ahsoka could feel the dust in the air, the dryness of the desert pressing onto her.

"I'm not completely sure," Obi-Wan answered, squinting slightly in the direction of Mos Espa. "Let's see if we can get any information in Mos Espa. That's where Feemor should have gone first. Perhaps we can follow his footsteps."

Ahsoka nodded, pulled up the hood of her robe, and followed Obi-Wan towards the city. She found herself thinking of the last time she was here, on her first mission with Anakin. It was oddly fitting that her first mission with Obi-Wan would also take her here.

"So," she said as they trudged through the sand. "Do you know Master Feemor?" she asked.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Not very well," he said. "Why?"

She paused. "Well, if we're trying to find him, it probably would help if we knew what he looked like," she said.

"Don't worry about that, Ahsoka," he replied with a light laugh. "You'll know in the Force when you encounter another Jedi."

She nodded. "That's true."

As they walked into Mos Espa, Ahsoka looked around. She never thought Anakin's home planet would be like _this_. Slavery seemed to be prominent, and there was an air of roguishness that she remembered from Jabba's Palace that translated to Mos Espa as well.

She immediately spotted a dark-haired man with tanned skin staring intently at Obi-Wan, calculating. It was a little unsettling. She quickly studied him in the Force, discovering that the man had no malicious intent, but…there was _something_ about him that she couldn't quite understand.

"Ahsoka?"

She didn't realize she stopped walking. "Sorry," she murmured. "It's just…" She glanced surreptitiously towards the man, who was still staring at them.

"I know," he answered softly.

As they walked through Mos Espa, Ahsoka realized very quickly that the man was following them. Obi-Wan continued strolling, keeping up appearances, though he began to take seemingly random turns and pauses, hoping to lose their tracker.

Eventually, they turned into an empty alleyway, and Obi-Wan sighed and turned around to face the man, who stood in the shadows.

"Can I help you?" Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're Jedi," the man answered as he took a few steps out of the shadows.

Ahsoka blinked then looked down at her lightsabers, barely hidden by her robe. "So what if we are?" she replied.

"There's another Jedi here. He's been waiting for you," the man said.

"Where is he?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes narrowed.

"I'll take you to him," the man said. "He's been helping us, but we need your help now that you're here."

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, and he and Ahsoka followed the man out of the alleyway.

* * *

The man led them out of the city towards a smaller settlement a few miles west. There appeared to be farms of some sort, but Ahsoka could see the marks of destruction, the burnt and destroyed remains of homes and livelihoods.

"What happened?" she asked softly, feeling the pain and loss keenly in the Force.

"There was an attack," the man replied, pausing to stare at the wreckage with shining eyes. "We lost a great many things."

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said. "What caused this to happen?"

The man shook his head. "We must hurry; if they spot us, they may attack again. I promise we'll tell you everything once we are safe," he said.

Obi-Wan nodded, and the three of them began to walk again.

It took half an hour for them to reach a smaller settlement. Master Feemor was here; she could easily sense him in the Force now. She didn't quite understand what he was doing here when he was supposed to be searching for the clones, but she supposed that there was a good explanation.

The man led them into one of the buildings, where another man sat cross-legged, eyes closed.

As soon as they approached the meditating man, his eyes opened. "Master Kenobi," the man greeted with a half-smile. "I should have known Master Windu would send you. He always did like to meddle, as much he never admitted it."

Ahsoka frowned; what did he mean by that?

Master Feemor turned towards her. "And Skywalker's padawan. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Padawan Tano," he said, nodding at her.

"How do you know who I am, Master?" she asked. "And I'm Master Kenobi's padawan now," she corrected.

Master Feemor smirked and smoothly pulled himself to his feet.

"I've had the pleasure of having more than one Master, Padawan Tano," he said, "and I can tell you that you never truly _stop_ being someone's padawan, regardless of what happens. I'm sure Master Kenobi will tell you the same."

"Feemor, I—"

"After all," Feemor continued, raising a brow, "Master Qui-Gon did have quite the impression when he returned, didn't he? Was he just like how he was in the past, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan looked somewhat uncomfortable, and his Force presence seemed to shrink into himself just slightly. Ahsoka had a feeling that there was something she was missing, something that she didn't quite understand.

"You knew Master Qui-Gon?" Ahsoka asked finally.

Feemor laughed. "Of course, Padawan," he said, then looked directly at Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan never told you? I was Qui-Gon Jinn's first padawan."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N** : Sorry about the wait! Real life is getting quite busy, so I'm afraid there will probably be sporadic updates for a while. I'll do my best, but here's a slightly longer-than-usual chapter to make up for it! Enjoy :)

* * *

Ahsoka stared at Feemor for a while before he laughed. "Why am I not surprised, Obi-Wan?" he asked, turning to face his younger brother-padawan. "You've spent all these years avoiding me, after all."

Obi-Wan didn't reply.

"Master Jedi," the man who found them in Mos Espa spoke up, eyes wide and confused. "The others wanted to speak with you before," he said.

"Ah, of course," Feemor said, turning towards the man. "Mr. Kitster Banai, I'm not sure you're aware, but this is Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi who trained your friend to Knighthood. And Ahsoka Tano, your friend's _former_ padawan, as she likes to call herself." He gestured to the other two Jedi with a guileless smile.

Obi-Wan stiffened, but before he could say anything, Banai spoke.

"You trained Ani?" he asked Obi-Wan, eyes wide and eager. "Is he here? He always talked about being a Jedi, about seeing as many star systems as he could, you know. I'm sure he told you."

Obi-Wan somehow looked even more uncomfortable than before.

"He isn't here," Ahsoka answered when Obi-Wan didn't say anything. "But yes, he told us."

"He's no longer a Jedi," Obi-Wan said finally, voice slightly strangled. "I'm sorry. He did tell me about you, though. Many times."

Banai looked stunned, but he nodded slowly. "Well, Master Feemor, we really must—"

Feemor nodded. "I'll just be a minute," he said to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. "I promise I'll explain everything as soon as I return."

"Okay, Master Feemor," Ahsoka said. The older Jedi smiled and nodded at them before exiting the building.

As soon as they were alone, Ahsoka sighed and dropped her pack on the floor.

"If you don't trust me, Master, then there's no reason for me to be here," she said finally. "You know that I was going to find out about this eventually, right? Was there any reason at all to keep this from me?"

"I don't know," Obi-Wan said after a long pause.

Ahsoka exhaled. "Part of me sometimes wishes I didn't fight so hard to get you to be my Master," she sighed. "You know you're infuriating, right? Anakin said it before, but I never realized."

"I'm sorry," he said.

Ahsoka closed her eyes and reached into the Force, slowly releasing her anger and frustration. "No, I'm sorry," she replied. "That was uncalled for."

"I didn't know how to tell you," Obi-Wan said.

Ahsoka nodded. "Do you have any other long-lost relatives I need to know about?" she asked, smirking.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "For the record, Ahsoka, I do trust you," he said.

Ahsoka smiled. "I know, Master."

* * *

"It was an Initiate?" Depa asked, brows raised. That was definitely not what she was expecting to hear. She thought it would be Master Windu or Master Yoda or maybe one of the other Council Members. They were all Jedi that she interacted regularly with, and it would just make sense.

Bant smiled. "His name is Caleb Dume," she said, typing a few notes into her datapad. "He was here for some minor injury, according to the reports. Right before he left, you began to show signs of waking up."

"But why?" Depa asked.

Bant shrugged. "I wasn't here when it happened. I've only heard about it from the padawan healer who was there at the time," she answered. She looked up from her datapad finally and smiled. "If you're so curious, you could go to the crèche and meet him."

"I suppose," Depa replied. The thought of going there felt so _right_ all of a sudden. A part of her itched to go there now, but she knew she had to wait.

"Your test results look pretty good, Master Billaba," Bant said after some silence. She turned and put the datapad down on the table next to her. "If you want, you can start doing some light katas and exercise, but don't overdo it."

Depa nodded slowly. She did feel better. The shock of waking up from what felt like a normal slumber to an entirely different galaxy was…indescribable, to say the least. She felt more secure now, a few days later, but she still felt very out of place.

"Thank you, Healer Bant," Depa said. "I might take your advice about the Initiate."

Bant smiled gently. "I'm glad you're here, Master Billaba. My door is always open if you want to talk," the healer replied.

With a quick smile and goodbye, Depa left, fueled by determination.

* * *

"Now," Feemor said, eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'm assuming Master Windu sent you here."

The three Jedi sat in a smaller room in one of the houses that were not as badly damaged as the others. Obi-Wan realized very quickly that because of the destruction, the people of this settlement were crowded into the few homes that were still safe, that they were very quickly running out of food and supplies.

Obi-Wan nodded. "When he didn't hear from you, he was concerned," he explained. He glanced at Ahsoka, who was seated next to him and was nibbling at a ration bar.

"The clones, as far as I'm aware, are still on-planet," Feemor said. "When I finally found them, they gave me a lot of resistance. They seemed to be well-prepared for my arrival. They destroyed my ship and droid before escaping out somewhere towards the Dune Sea."

"I see," Obi-Wan replied, stroking his chin.

"How did you end up here, Master Feemor?" Ahsoka asked. She finished eating her ration bar, pulled out another one from her pack, and pushed it forcefully into Obi-Wan's hands with a knowing look.

"These people were attacked," Feemor answered. "Their homes were destroyed, and a lot of them were injured. I've been helping them rebuild, but their moisture vaporators are destroyed beyond repair, and they don't have enough credits to repair or purchase a new one. They are quickly running out of food and medical supplies as well."

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "Who attacked them?" she asked. "How do we know they won't come back?" Obi-Wan could feel her compassion flooding into the Force.

"It was the Tuskens Raiders," Feemor said.

Obi-Wan chewed slowly on the ration bar that Ahsoka gave him. He distantly remembered Anakin talking about the Tusken Raiders. He knew that Anakin's mother was killed by the Tuskens not long before the war began. They were dangerous, from what Anakin told him.

"Did they attack for any reason?" Obi-Wan asked quietly.

"That's what I've been trying to find out," Feemor replied. "I haven't encountered them myself yet."

"You want to speak to them?" Ahsoka asked, brows raised. "Would they even listen?"

"They might," Obi-Wan replied. "But they also might not. We have to be prepared for either happening."

" _We_?" Feemor echoed, raising an eyebrow. "That's awfully ironic of you to say, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together, thrown off guard by Feemor's words. Ahsoka looked slightly uncomfortable, but she remained silent.

Before he could say anything else, the door slid open, revealing Banai with a wild and concerned look in his eyes. "The Sand People…" he said, before any of the Jedi could ask him anything. "They're coming."

"How long do we have until they get here?" Obi-Wan asked, pulling himself to his feet, half-eaten ration bar in hand.

"Ten minutes at best," Banai replied.

Feemor smiled, eyes glinting that way Qui-Gon's did with serious determination. Obi-Wan was beginning to see a lot of Qui-Gon in Feemor, and he didn't quite know what to think about that.

"Let's go," Feemor said, turning swiftly to walk out the door, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka following him.

* * *

Caleb Dume turned out to be a small human boy with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes that shone like the stars in the night sky. He was luminous and energetic in the Force, making Depa feel so warm and comfortable just by standing near him.

"I still don't understand," he insisted. "I didn't do anything when I was at the Healers', Master Billaba."

Depa smiled gently. "You did do something, Caleb," she replied. She knelt before him, so that she was at his height. "You reached out to me and saved me. No one else has been able to do it. Not the Healers, not my former Master, and not even Master Yoda."

Caleb's eyes widened. "But I…I don't understand, Master Billaba," he said.

They were sitting in one of the smaller rooms in the crèche. All the other Initiates left for midday meal, leaving Depa and Caleb alone.

"What don't you understand, Caleb?" she asked gently.

"I wasn't… _trying_ to do anything, Master," he replied. "I just saw you in the bacta tank, and I guess I was curious, but I…the Force was telling me something, but I didn't know exactly what it was."

"Regardless of whether your actions were intended or not, you saved me," Depa said. "I owe my life to you, Caleb Dume. Thank you."

Caleb's eyes widened. Depa could feel his shock emptying out into the Force, strong and overwhelming. "I—" he began, but the sound of Depa's commlink interrupted him.

Depa sighed and pulled her commlink off her belt, staring at it. "The Council would like to see me," she explained. "My apologies, Caleb. I'll try to meet with you again tomorrow, if not later today."

Caleb nodded dumbly, and croaked, "Goodbye, Master Billaba."

"Goodbye, Caleb," she replied, turning around to leave the crèche.

* * *

"Do you see them?" Feemor asked from where he stood behind Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan gazed through his macrobinoculars at the line of Sand People quickly approaching the village. He nodded and stood before giving the binoculars to Feemor, who moved them to his eyes.

His commlink crackled. _"Master, what's the plan?"_ Ahsoka asked. She stayed at the entrance of the settlement as a guard. Obi-Wan hoped to turn the Tuskens away, but if it came down to it, Ahsoka would be the villagers' last line of defense.

"Feemor and I will intercept the Sand People before they arrive," he replied. Feemor nodded and put the macrobinoculars back on his belt, face lined with determination. "We will try to communicate with them," Obi-Wan continued, "but if that fails, Ahsoka, you must do whatever you can to protect the settlement. These people's lives depend on it."

 _"I know, Master,"_ she replied. There was a pause for a brief moment, then she said, _"Be careful."_

Obi-Wan chuckled lightly, despite the fact that he felt tense, as though something was going to happen. "When am I not?" he asked wryly and turned off the commlink once he heard her laugh.

Obi-Wan squinted into the horizon. He could now see the Tusken Raiders in the distance without the macrobinoculars. They were only minutes away.

"This is probably not the best time for me to say this," Feemor said, pulling the binoculars away from his face. "But I do wish we had a chance to talk before all of this happened, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I'm sorry," he replied. "I should have contacted you after—after Master Qui-Gon died, the first time. I know what he did to you, and I didn't know if you would—"

Feemor shook his head. "Don't fault yourself for Qui-Gon's mistakes. Xanatos may not have been entirely his fault, just like Anakin wasn't yours," Feemor said.

"But—"

"No," Feemor said, and he finally looked at Obi-Wan, eyes shining. "What Qui-Gon did to me was his fault. There is a reason I did not come to him or even to you when he was here," he continued.

Feemor exhaled and looked away into the horizon again. "I still don't know exactly what happened when Qui-Gon was here, but I do know that Anakin's decisions were his own, not yours," he said.

"I—"

"Or do you think that what happened to Xanatos was Qui-Gon's fault?" Feemor asked, raising an eyebrow.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth then closed it. He paused. "It's not the same," he managed finally. The Tuskens were nearly upon them now. He breathed deeply, feeling the Force flow through him.

"Of course it's not," Feemor said, "but would Qui-Gon really want you to be struggling in your misery like this? Would he want you to believe even now, when you've spent twelve years living in Xanatos' shadow and you still told him it was not Qui-Gon's fault, that Anakin was yours?"

Oh. Feemor didn't know that Master Qui-Gon was…a ghost, of sorts. Obi-Wan would need to tell him, but for now, the Tuskens were just about to approach them.

"Let's go," Obi-Wan said, looking ahead at the visible line of Tusken Raiders now approaching them. "I think they're about to see us."

Feemor opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the sound of a blaster. Immediately he ignited his saber, revealing an emerald blade identical in color to Qui-Gon's. Obi-Wan stared for a moment before igniting his own blade and deflecting a few blaster bolts.

They were spotted.

Just as quickly as the blaster bolts arrived, they disappeared. Obi-Wan can hear the Tuskens shouting, though he didn't understand what they were saying, as they retreated away from him and Feemor.

Panic quickly bled into the Force. Obi-Wan frowned as the Tuskens disappeared more quickly than they arrived, fueled by apprehension.

"What happened?" Feemor asked, extinguishing his saber as he picked up the macrobinoculars again. He peered into them, probably trying to see where the Tuskens were going.

His commlink beeped. _"Master?"_ Ahsoka's voice filtered into the air.

Obi-Wan exhaled. "They left, Ahsoka. Let the villagers know," he answered softly. "Feemor and I are on our way back."

Ahsoka paused. Obi-Wan could sense her confusion in the Force, almost as easily as his own. He knew from what Anakin told him about the Tuskens that they were never the type to retreat. They might back away and approach their attacks from a different side, but the sheer panic that shot into the Force made it clear enough. The Tuskens were _scared_.

 _"Okay, Master,"_ Ahsoka replied.

Feemor turned around and began to walk back to the settlement. Obi-Wan followed, but his thoughts wandered far away. He stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Feemor asked, turning around.

"The Tuskens, they attacked us first. They came here with the intention of harming these villagers," Obi-Wan said. At Feemor's nod, he continued. "They ran away at the sight of our lightsabers. The Jedi don't have much of a presence here; that _shouldn't_ be happening."

Feemor frowned. "You're right. Something's not right," he answered. He looked up at the sky, towards the suns. "We need to get back. Your Padawan is probably wondering where we are."

Obi-Wan nodded and they walked quickly back to the settlement.

* * *

"That is quite unusual," Banai said, frowning. The three Jedi were crowded into a large room where the injured were being treated. "I don't think the Tuskens would just run away like that. Not at the sight of a lightsaber."

"That's what we thought," Feemor replied.

"Didn't you hear what happened to that one Tusken village?"

Ahsoka turned around to see an old human man sitting on a cot, right arm in a sling. His eyes were bright with pain, but they were clear and focused.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes narrowed.

"My brother went up to Anchorhead once for some supplies. He came by the Western Dune Sea, near the Jundland Wastes. Stumbled across a Tusken village. All the Tuskens there were dead," the man exclaimed, waving around his good arm.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"They all had limbs missing or holes in their bodies. They looked like they were killed by a lightsaber," the man continued with a nod. "My guess is, they saw your lightsabers and ran off because they recognize that weapon all too well. They're afraid of the Jedi."

"You must be mistaken," Feemor said, shaking his head. "It could have been someone else using a stolen lightsaber."

The man shrugged. "Maybe," he said, "but it was definitely a lightsaber that caused all those Tuskens to die, and the lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi, isn't it?"

Ahsoka frowned. No Jedi would do such a thing. Maybe one that fell to the Dark, but not…

"How long ago was this?" Obi-Wan asked suddenly. There was a strange look in his eyes. The Force was stirring now, and Ahsoka's stomach immediately turned into knots.

The man stroked his chin. "Two years ago, maybe? Definitely before the war started," he answered.

Obi-Wan paled. "Is there a speeder here I can borrow?" he quietly asked Banai, who nodded immediately.

"Master?" Ahsoka asked, immediately concerned. She followed Obi-Wan, Feemor, and Banai out of the building. Banai led them to a speeder that sat outside one of the huts.

"I'll bring it back," Obi-Wan said before he slid into the driver's seat. "Thank you, Kitster."

Banai nodded shortly. Feemor slid into the passenger's seat and Ahsoka jumped in the back. Obi-Wan immediately began driving without saying another word.

"Where are we going?" she tried to ask, but Obi-Wan was driving so fast that she ended up getting a mouthful of sand instead. She spat out the sand and coughed a few times, eyes watering. Feemor kept quiet, though he seemed to be wondering the same thing.

* * *

"You intend to take him as your Padawan?" Master Windu asked.

Depa chuckled. "Are you really so surprised about that, Master?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"I never thought that you'd take a Padawan this quickly, Depa," he replied, scrolling through his datapad. "You only just met him, you know."

Depa smiled. "I do know that, Master, but the Force is clear about this," she said. "I think you'll understand when you meet him. There's something about Caleb, something that tells me that he is destined for so much."

Master Windu chuckled lightly as he put his datapad to the side. "I never told you this, but that's exactly how I felt when I first visited you in the crèche," he admitted. "There were so many shatterpoints surrounding you, Depa. The Force practically screamed at me to take you as my Padawan."

Depa raised her eyebrows. She didn't expect her Master to say that, but the surprise was definitely not unwelcome. "I'm glad you did, Master," she said. "You were a better Master than I could have hoped for."

"Don't rush this decision," Master Windu replied. "Meet with Caleb a few more times in different settings, and get to know him well. You have time to decide if this is truly what you want."

Despite the fact that Depa _already_ knew, she nodded. It wouldn't make sense for her to do this without getting to know Caleb more. The Force insisted on the partnership, but it was patient. She will be patient, too.

* * *

Eventually, Obi-Wan stopped driving. He jumped out of the speeder and raced forward. Both suns were at the top of the sky, shining down relentlessly. The heat was now bordering on excruciating. Ahsoka was luckily a bit more accustomed to extreme weather because of her Togruta biology, but she didn't know how her human companions were faring, especially Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan came to a sudden stop in front of a sign. There were strange structures all around him, buried in sand, but the Force wailed in pain and agony. She shivered. Whatever happened here was…

"He was right," Feemor said, looking around. "Someone killed all the Tuskens here."

Genocide. Nausea curled deep in her stomach.

Obi-Wan stood still, eyes wide and face sweaty. He was breathing heavily. Ahsoka could sense Feemor's shock and pain in the Force as keenly as her own, but Obi-Wan was almost drowning from his emotions.

"Master!" she shouted.

Obi-Wan shook violently, then fell to his knees, head bowed. Ahsoka stumbled to him, feeling the Force scream more and more.

"What's wrong?" she asked, crouching down next to him. She could feel Feemor standing right behind her, concerned but unsure of how to act.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered. His eyes were filled with tears, but not a single one fell. "It was…Anakin."

Ahsoka blinked. She reached out with the Force, trying not to let the remains of murder overwhelm her, instead searching for a familiar presence. _There._ Anakin's presence, but it was all twisted by hate and revenge.

Obi-Wan trembled again, face white, and his body curled in on itself. "We need to get inside," Ahsoka declared. "It's getting too hot."

Feemor nodded. "I'll drive," he said, then looked at Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan, we need to go," he said.

Obi-Wan nodded, still trembling. He slowly pulled himself to his feet, but his knees immediately buckled, and he fell onto the sand on his hands and knees with a hoarse gasp. Feemor kneeled and carefully brought Obi-Wan to his feet again with his support.

"Go start the speeder," Feemor said to Ahsoka, quickly pulling Obi-Wan's arm around his shoulders. Obi-Wan's face was flushed with sweat. Ahsoka nodded in response, running towards the speeder.

By the time she started the speeder, Feemor managed to get Obi-Wan to lay down in the back of the speeder. Feemor sat down in the driver's seat and Ahsoka sat next to him, glancing back at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan was still shaking, not as much as before, but the sight of it caused her heart to sink to her chest. She didn't know what to _do_.

Feemor started the engine and immediately took off in the direction they arrived. "See if you can find a house or farm or something nearby!" he shouted, and Ahsoka nodded. She looked around as Feemor sped away from the Tusken village.

He drove for just a few minutes before she spotted something on the left. "There!" she shouted, pointing towards a small hut. It looked abandoned; the vaporators looked completely destroyed and there were uneven piles of sand surrounding the sides.

Feemor nodded and swerved the speeder sharply towards the hut. Obi-Wan made a strangled sound, and Ahsoka turned to see him turn slightly green. Feemor stopped the speeder, and Obi-Wan immediately leaned over the side of the speeder and dry-heaved into the sand. Ahsoka winced before she jumped out of the speeder and raced to his side. Feemor was standing next to her, opening the door and carefully pulling Obi-Wan to his feet.

"Almost there," he said softly. He was supporting all of Obi-Wan's weight without complaint. "Ahsoka, can you clear the entrance of the sand?" Feemor asked.

Ahsoka ran to the entrance and quickly moved the heavy mound of sand to the side with the Force. She opened the door and walked in to the hut. Luckily the inside of the hut was cleaner than the outside, but not by much. There were some dead critters on the ground and a few random piles of sand that probably fell in through the holes in the ceiling.

Ahsoka spotted a cot on the far side of the hut, and quickly cleared a pathway so that Obi-Wan and Feemor can easily make their way. She then cleared all the sand off the cot and tried to make it as clean as possible.

As soon as she sensed Feemor and Obi-Wan outside, she opened the door with the Force to allow both of them in. Feemor guided Obi-Wan to the cot and sat him down. "Do you have water?" Feemor asked.

"I left my pack at the settlement, Master Feemor," she said, shaking her head.

Feemor nodded then turned to Obi-Wan. "Get some sleep, Obi-Wan," he said softly, voice heavy with the Force. To her surprise, Obi-Wan nodded and his eyes flicked shut. Feemor stood and adjusted Obi-Wan so that he was lying down.

"How did you _do_ that?" she asked.

"Force suggestion," Feemor answered. "A pretty powerful one, too, though Obi-Wan must have been completely exhausted to allow me to do that."

"Yeah," she replied.

Feemor looked around the hut. "Let's see if there are any supplies we can dig up in here," he decided.

* * *

Obi-Wan was still asleep. About an hour has passed since Feemor used the Force suggestion on Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan showed no signs of waking. He must have been more exhausted than Ahsoka thought, and finding out what Anakin did…

Anakin committed genocide as a Padawan. Even though Obi-Wan didn't say exactly how he was initially able to figure out that the Tusken village genocide was Anakin, Ahsoka was quickly able to figure out what happened based on what she knew about Anakin.

Ahsoka knew that Anakin's mother died at the hands of the Tuskens. He must have lashed out right after it happened, must have embraced the Dark for those brief moments in the village.

She still considered him her Master and her friend, but he was a murderer. A killer.

Ahsoka shivered. She really wished she could speak to Nira right now. But Nira was on Coruscant, at the Temple, and Ahsoka was on Tatooine.

Feemor looked up from his commlink at her. He looked a lot more unsettled than she expected. She still didn't quite know what to think of him, considering she didn't even know that Obi-Wan had a brother Padawan until she met Feemor.

Feemor stood and gestured her to follow him. They walked out of the hut. The suns were still out, but the heat from before has receded slightly. She walked into the shadow cast by the hut, determined to stay cool in the heat.

"I don't want to assume, but I've heard things about what happened when Qui-Gon was here," Feemor began. He stood in the shadow, too, leaning slightly on the side of the hut.

Of course he did. Rumors were rumors, and the Force didn't do anything to stop any Jedi from being curious.

"What do you want to know?" she asked guardedly. People have asked her things before, but never directly. Not like this.

"Obi-Wan," he said. "He died?"

Ahsoka nodded, thinking back to that moment she walked in to Palpatine's office with Senator Amidala and Ventress. The relief she felt at seeing Anakin defeating Palpatine and killing him, the horror she felt at seeing Obi-Wan lying dead on the floor. The confusion she felt at realizing that Master Qui-Gon was gone.

"Yes," she answered. "And then he came back, but…it wasn't easy for him," she continued. She remembered the coma, the uncertain days that followed once he woke up and refused to be her Master. There were ups and there were downs, even now. "It still isn't. What happened today is related to that."

"They say it's because of Skywalker," Feemor mused.

Ahsoka sighed. "It is," she agreed. "Anakin and Obi-Wan have a complicated relationship. I can't really say much more than that."

Feemor nodded. "I should have been there," he said. "I didn't…"

"You don't have to give me excuses, Master Feemor," Ahsoka said. "We've moved past what happened."

Feemor fell silent, though his presence in the Force was now miserable. She wasn't upset at him really, but for some reason he seemed to be upset at himself.

"That was uncalled for; I'm sorry," she said after a lengthy pause.

"You don't need to apologize. I should have been there, and I wasn't," he said bluntly. "It's as simple as that."

Ahsoka sighed and immediately felt Obi-Wan's side of the bond stir. "He's waking up," she said, turning back towards the hut.

"We should get back to the settlement before the suns set. The nights here are freezing, from what I've heard," Feemor said.

Ahsoka nodded in the agreement as they walked into the hut together.

* * *

Talzin sent out two of her sons to bring home a third. The third one was in agony for thirteen long years and was suffering for even longer for being away from Dathomir. He was once a puppet of the Sith, used and wasted by the machinations of a madman. Sidious.

Her son, Maul, has finally returned to Dathomir.

Savage and Feral Opress were both eager to bring their brother back once Talzin told them the truth about Maul's continued survival. They found him on Lotho Minor, mind and body destroyed by madness and pain.

Talzin watched the ship land. Maul's screams echoed out of the ship, his agony rippling through the air. She felt his pain almost as keenly as her own.

The ramp lowered, revealing Savage and Feral standing side by side, exhausted but pleased.

Talzin walked over to them. "Savage, Feral," she greeted.

They bowed and spoke in unison. "Mother."

"Shall we?" Talzin asked, gesturing towards the ship.

As she expected, Maul was a broken shell of his former self. Feral explained that the former Sith had little memory of his life, only speaking of something or someone called "Kenobi."

She knew that name and what it represented.

It was a simple task for her to bring Maul out of the ship, entranced by a little of Talzin's magic. Maul eventually stumbled out of the ship on six rickety legs, body trembling from pain and starvation.

"Welcome back, Son of Dathomir," Talzin uttered with a smile.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hello! I'm really sorry this took so long. Real life has been keeping me quite busy, and this chapter was not easy to write! But here it is. Enjoy!

* * *

The Force recoiled.

Qui-Gon opened his eyes, shock filtering through his mind at the sight of the black-and-red Zabrak. Broken, but still _alive_. He never even thought that the Sith could have survived Naboo; he thought that being cut in half would be enough.

It wasn't enough.

Darth Maul lived, thirteen years after his supposed death, while Qui-Gon died on that fateful day. Qui-Gon remained in the Force, separated from corporeality, while Maul lived on, an angry, vengeful existence.

The Force certainly had a sense of humor.

 _"Now you know."_

Qui-Gon turned around to see the Son standing behind him, watching him. He remembered what the Son said when Qui-Gon saw him last.

"This is what you meant, isn't it?" Qui-Gon asked. "When you said that the darkness must rise again?"

The Son nodded gravely. _"This was a necessity, Jedi,"_ he said. _"This is Balance. My father and sister agree with me."_

"I must…I must _warn_ him," Qui-Gon replied. Obi-Wan needed to speak to him, but something…he hasn't been able to reach him. It was as though the Force itself rebelled against Qui-Gon manifesting himself in corporeality.

 _"I'm afraid that won't be allowed,"_ the Son said.

"Allowed?" Qui-Gon asked. "I wasn't aware that there were rules to this."

The Son smirked. _"You are part of the Force, Jedi. You cannot interfere with what is destined to happen,"_ he said. _"You must remain here until the time is right."_

"Until the time is right?" Qui-Gon repeated. "What do you mean?"

The Son transformed back into his winged beast form and flew away without answering Qui-Gon's question.

With a deep sigh, Qui-Gon closed his eyes and allowed himself to sink back into meditation.

* * *

She needed to get off Dathomir _now_.

Ventress knew who Maul was. She knew that he, like her, was taken from Dathomir at a young age. Unlike her, Maul was taken by Sidious and was groomed into becoming his apprentice. Everything that once made Maul Dathomirian was scrubbed away by the mantle of the Sith.

Eventually, Maul was cut in half and was presumed dead by Kenobi's hands. This was thirteen years ago. Dooku took his place not long after that, and Ventress became Dooku's apprentice after that.

But now, Dooku was dead and Ventress returned to Dathomir. It made perfect sense that Mother Talzin would want the other missing child of Dathomir to return. She just never knew that Maul survived in the first place.

She could hear Maul from far away, his pain ripping and burning into the Force. He cried out for Kenobi.

It wouldn't take long for Mother Talzin to mend Maul's mind, and Ventress knew exactly what the Mother intended to happen.

Ventress watched as the Mother lead Maul away from the ship with her magic and the two Nightbrothers followed, stirred by curiosity. As soon as they were out of view, Ventress slipped into the ship.

She waited until she was sure that no one was watching her or the ship before she turned its engines on and lifted it into the atmosphere.

Dathomir is her home, but now she must do what she can to protect it. Even if that meant leaving again. Even if that meant doing something unexpected and drastic.

Ventress would do what had to be done, no matter the cost.

* * *

"Obi-Wan?"

There was an angry, almost primal scream ringing in his ears, but it was already fading away into nothingness. The only thing that remained was a _something_ , almost a sense of warning and apprehension.

The Force otherwise was still and quiet, unlike the last time he was fully conscious. Obi-Wan opened his eyes to find himself lying on a cot. It was dark, but he could feel Feemor's Force presence sitting next to him.

"Feemor," he replied. His voice felt dry and heavy in his throat. Obi-Wan shivered and curled into himself, just slightly, for warmth. He remembered Anakin saying that Tatooine's nights were freezing, but this—this was ridiculous. He was indoors, but he felt like everything inside of him was scraped out, and all that was left was a shell.

Anakin.

Obi-Wan remembered now, the Tusken genocide screaming out into the Force as they got closer and closer to the camp. He had his suspicions as soon as he heard about the Tusken camp, but once he arrived with Feemor and Ahsoka, it was clear.

Feemor shifted slightly in his chair. "I'm sorry," he said finally.

"For what?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I haven't been a good brother to you," Feemor said. "Regardless of what happened with me and Qui-Gon, that shouldn't have affected you."

"That's not—"

"Even after I heard what happened to you six months ago, I refused to help. I didn't know _how_ I could help, Obi-Wan," Feemor said. "Instead I agreed to run off here, to find an excuse to not be in the Temple."

"I've done the same thing," Obi-Wan replied. "Qui-Gon was here, and you both should have had a chance to reconcile, just like I did. I forgot, Feemor."

Feemor shook his head. "Even if you told me anything, I would have refused to speak to him," he said.

Obi-Wan deflated slightly. "He never meant for this to happen," Obi-Wan replied.

Feemor raised an eyebrow. "Did Qui-Gon say that or are you just assuming that is something he would have said?" he asked. "You remember him with more fondness than I do, Obi-Wan."

"Qui-Gon is the reason the Jedi are alive, that the Republic is alive," Obi-Wan countered. He sat up, ignoring the dizziness that came with the movement. "Yes, he made his mistakes, even when I was his Padawan, but he learned from them."

"Did he?" Feemor asked, sitting back in his chair. He raised his hands up slightly. "I didn't mean to start an argument, Obi-Wan. Like I said, I want to be a better brother to you than I have in the past."

Obi-Wan exhaled. "I would like to do the same for you, Feemor," he replied. "There is something you must know about Qui-Gon. Something that most Jedi do not know right now."

"I don't really want—"

"It's important, Feemor," Obi-Wan said before Feemor could say anything else.

"Very well," Feemor said with a nod.

Obi-Wan paused, trying to come up with the best way to tell Feemor about Qui-Gon. "A few weeks after Qui-Gon returned to his time," he began, "Qui-Gon appeared to me as a Force Ghost."

Feemor stared at him for a long time. "Obi-Wan…" he said finally, voice slightly strangled. "It's not that I don't believe you, but please don't take it upon yourself to try to fix my relationship with Qui-Gon. I've been perfectly happy without his influence for over two decades; I don't need it now."

"But—"

"Obi-Wan, _please_ ," Feemor said. His eyes were wide, almost desperate.

Obi-Wan closed his mouth. He found himself thinking of what happened with Anakin, how he can't bring himself to forgive. Feemor didn't know how to forgive Qui-Gon, just like Obi-Wan didn't know how to forgive Anakin.

It seemed like their lineage was broken in more ways than one.

"Very well," Obi-Wan said with a nod. "I just wanted you to know that he is still with us, in a way."

Feemor managed a smile. "I'm glad that you can communicate with him," he said, and his voice was sincere. "I know that it's important for you."

Obi-Wan nodded, but the Force felt empty of Qui-Gon. When Qui-Gon first appeared to him as a Force Ghost, Obi-Wan was able to reach for him for guidance, and Qui-Gon would either appear or just speak to him. But now, when Obi-Wan tried to reach for him, nothing happened. It was as though Qui-Gon was just _gone_.

He couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong.

"Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan blinked, realizing that Feemor was probably calling his name for a few seconds. "Sorry," he said, then looked around. "Where is Ahsoka?"

"Sleeping," Feemor answered. "It's just past midnight."

Well, that explained why it was so dark. "Why aren't you sleeping?" Obi-Wan asked.

Feemor smirked. "I was. I sensed you waking up, so I woke up about a minute before you did," he said. Obi-Wan squinted, realizing that Feemor's hair was ruffled and he looked slightly bleary-eyed in the dim light.

"Well, I won't keep you, then," Obi-Wan said. "I'm going back to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

Feemor nodded, and Obi-Wan closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift.

* * *

Depa watched Caleb as he talked animatedly about his classes. After Depa visited him a few more times in the crèche, Caleb was more comfortable speaking with her now. She didn't bring up his visit to the Healer's Ward because he seemed mostly confused about what happened.

"So then Master Koth told us that the Council likes to order noodles during really long Council Meetings," he continued. "Is it true?"

Depa chuckled. "That would be telling, wouldn't it?" she asked. She paused for a moment and winked.

"It's _true_?" he gasped.

"Well, meetings do run long sometimes," Depa said with a bit of a laugh. "We haven't done it since the war started, since we're all so busy now."

Caleb deflated and nodded. He tangled his fingers into his robe and looked down into his lap.

"Caleb?" Depa asked, suddenly concerned.

"It must have been so scary, Master Billaba," he said finally.

"The war?" Depa asked. "It—it was, Caleb. But it's over now. We can thank the Force for that."

" _Is_ it over, though?" Caleb asked softly.

The Force shivered. "Caleb, the Sith are gone, and the Separatists are in the process of rejoining the Republic. Things are happening slowly, but the war is over," she said. She managed to get a few more details from Master Windu about what happened exactly during the ending days of the war.

Caleb nodded slowly, but he looked mostly unconvinced.

"Why do you feel like it isn't over, Caleb?" Depa asked softly.

Caleb seemed to fold into himself slightly; he bowed his head and his shoulders slumped, as though there was a heavy weight pressing down on them. Depa tilted her head, projecting calm into the Force.

"It's just a feeling," Caleb said finally. "As though something is going to happen. Something _bad_."

Depa inhaled slowly. Master Windu saw shatterpoints, she's seen it happen throughout her time as his Padawan and even after. It was possible that Caleb was strong in the Unifying Force, or he at least had a tendency to have premonitions.

"If it does, we will do whatever we can when the time comes," she said finally. "We must remain vigilant."

Caleb nodded solemnly before he smiled again.

Depa was so sure she wanted him as her Padawan, but she had to wait just a little bit longer. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

Obi-Wan was awake, sitting on the bed and nibbling slowly at a ration bar when Ahsoka walked into the room where he was sleeping before.

"I'm glad to see you awake," she said in greeting. "How are you doing?"

Obi-Wan shrugged a shoulder before he swallowed down the food that was in his mouth. "I'm not exactly happy about what we found, but that is something we cannot fix right now," he said.

Ahsoka sighed.

Anakin _killed_ so many, and now the Tuskens were rising, striking back against innocent people who did nothing wrong. And they were terrified of any being that held a lightsaber, regardless of whether they were a Jedi or not.

"What do we do about the Tuskens?" she asked.

"Right now, we can't do anything about the Tuskens," Obi-Wan replied. He stood up and put on his cloak, which Ahsoka knew was completely pointless because she knew that he was going to drop it again at some point.

"We can't do anything?" Ahsoka repeated, tilting her head.

"What we can do is help these people. We're going to help them build defenses around the settlement and obtain more supplies. Then we'll have to get back to our mission, Ahsoka. We need to find the missing clones," Obi-Wan explained.

"Master, even if that works somehow, that won't stop the Tuskens from attacking another settlement!" Ahsoka exclaimed.

Obi-Wan sighed as he adjusted the sleeves of his cloak. "I know, but right now, there is not much we can do here since we're so far outside of the Republic. And what Anakin did only made matters worse."

Ahsoka deflated. Anakin wasn't even a Jedi anymore, but if the Council were to find out about any of this, she didn't know what would happen. "Are we telling the Council about this?" she asked softly. "About Anakin?"

Obi-Wan didn't reply for a few moments. "Ahsoka…" he said, shaking his head.

"Anakin isn't a Jedi anymore; it probably wouldn't mean anything to the Council," she realized.

"He was still my Padawan when he slaughtered those Tuskens," Obi-Wan replied. "You know that a Master is responsible for their Padawan's actions. Even if he remained a Jedi, if the Council found out—"

"Then don't tell them!" Ahsoka said. "You shouldn't be punished for something _he_ did!"

"Ahsoka—"

"Master, you know how much I care about Anakin, but he was responsible for his own actions, even with the Tuskens," Ahsoka continued. "And even with…what happened with Palpatine, that was his decision. You're not at fault for that."

Obi-Wan didn't reply, except to stop adjusting his cloak.

"We should go. Feemor is waiting for us," Obi-Wan murmured, and he turned around, ready to leave.

"No," Ahsoka said.

Obi-Wan stopped in front of the door, but he didn't turn around.

"Tell me about what happened in Palpatine's office," Ahsoka said.

Obi-Wan seemed to freeze to the spot. His Force presence was closed off, impossible for Ahsoka to reach.

"You know what happened."

Obi-Wan's voice was soft, betraying none of the emotion that she knew he felt.

"Yes, but I haven't heard it from you. Anakin told me, Master Qui-Gon told me, but you haven't said anything. And I'm willing to bet you haven't talked about it with anyone," Ahsoka said.

"Ahsoka, this—"

The door swung open, revealing Feemor, who beamed. "Good morning!" he crowed, apparently not picking up on any of the tension between Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. "I hope you both slept well, because we need to get to Mos Eisley before the second sun rises."

Ahsoka closed her eyes and exhaled, quickly releasing all her tension into the Force. Feemor must have noticed, because he frowned and looked back and forth at Ahsoka and Obi-Wan.

"Is everything alright?" Feemor asked. "I didn't mean to barge in like that; I was just—"

"It's fine," Obi-Wan said. "Let's go." He pushed the door open and left, leaving Ahsoka and Feemor in the room.

"I pushed him too far," Ahsoka said quietly. "I think he's upset with me."

Feemor smiled gently. "It's going to be fine, Ahsoka," he said. "Trust me."

Ahsoka nodded and followed him out of the room, letting Feemor's words ring in her head.

He was right. Everything was going to be alright.

Or so she hoped.

* * *

She finally was coming up on Coruscant. Ventress sighed and leaned back in her chair, feeling her heart thrum rapidly in her chest. She felt… _nervous_ , though she couldn't exactly say why. Was it the fact that she was trying to reach the Jedi? They weren't exactly accepting of her, but earlier, Tano shielded her from what the Jedi Council could have done to her.

So much was happening when Ventress was last on Coruscant, with Skywalker and Kenobi and Darth Sidious, and even now she didn't know exactly where she stood with the Jedi.

Oh, she knew where she stood with Tano, but not with the rest of the Jedi. She really hoped she didn't have to talk to any of the other Jedi; she just didn't trust them, and she didn't know what they would do if they found out about Maul's survival. She suspected that whatever it was, Ventress wouldn't like it.

"Tano better be there," she muttered to herself. She didn't know if Kenobi was alive. When she left Coruscant six months ago, Kenobi was in a coma. For all she knew, Kenobi was still in the coma or dead and Skywalker and Tano were desperate or mourning.

How would the Jedi take Maul's survival if the one person who stood best against Maul was gone?

Ventress shook her head. She knew better than to make assumptions. Her priority was to contact Tano and tell her about Maul's survival. Tano would help her, like she did before. The other Jedi would not help, at least not the way that Ventress wanted..

Ventress grabbed at the controls and guided the ship into Coruscant's atmosphere. She landed the ship in a hangar in the lower levels, deciding that it would be too difficult to attempt to land in the Jedi Temple's hangars without getting attention.

She made her way through the lower levels, staying in the shadows.

Sneaking into the Temple was too easy; once she got in, she made her way towards the residential wing. She kept her head up and squared her shoulders—she learned very quickly from her brief time in the Jedi Temple that anyone who acted like they belonged in the Temple would have no problem staying in the Temple.

Ventress remembered where Tano's quarters were; it was just a matter of getting there without arousing any suspicion. The residential wing wasn't that crowded, but there were Jedi milling about aimlessly all over the Temple, including the residential wing.

Finally, she reached the apartment and rang the buzzer.

Silence.

Ventress reached out into the Force, trying to determine if anyone was inside.

"They're on a mission," came an unfamiliar voice.

Ventress jerked. She was _better_ than this. She always knew when someone snuck up on her. But her shields were down, and she was distracted. Distracted by Maul's return and what it might mean, distracted by the fact that Tano _wasn't there_ , distracted by uncertainty.

Ventress released a breath and turned around.

A Chalactan Jedi stood in front of her with a single eyebrow arched upwards. "I don't think we've met," the Jedi said, almost conversationally. "I've been in a coma for the better part of the last year, so you'll have to forgive me."

Ventress nodded stiffly. "Where is Padawan Tano?" she asked gruffly.

"Like I said," the Jedi said, "they're on a mission."

"They?" Ventress asked, confused. Was she referring to Skywalker and Tano, or…?

The Jedi didn't reply. She took a few steps forward, eyebrows furrowed. " _Oh_ ," the woman realized. "You don't belong here, do you? You're Ventress. I've seen holos of you, before."

Asajj reached for her saber, but the woman didn't move.

"Why sneak in here? You could have asked the Council if you needed to meet with Ahsoka," she continued, "It would have saved you a lot of trouble."

"That's not important. Where is Tano?" Ventress pressed.

The woman smirked. "Why?" she asked.

Ventress gritted her teeth. Were all Jedi this frustrating? Tano seemed to be one of the few she could stand to have a conversation with for longer than two minutes without wanting to tear her hair out.

"I need her help, okay?" Ventress said finally.

"Well, she's away on a mission. If you truly need help with something, you should speak to the Council," the Jedi replied.

" _No_ ," Ventress hissed. "The Council cannot know anything. Just tell me where she is, and I'll be on my way."

The Jedi laughed. "The Council _knows_ that you are here, Ventress," she said. "Or, at least, a member of it does."

Of all Jedi to run into, Ventress runs into a Council member. Of _course_. She's always had terrible luck, but this was just unfortunate.

"If I tell you why, will you let me go? Without telling the Council I was here or anything?" Ventress asked.

The humor sparkling in the Jedi's eyes turned into complete seriousness. Ventress could easily sense the Jedi's honor and righteousness in the Force.

"Of course," the Jedi said, and Ventress could feel her honesty pouring into the Force. "We can speak in my quarters. Come along." The Jedi waved at her to follow, and Ventress did, only when the Force hummed in agreement.

This was right.

* * *

"I have contacts in Mos Eisley who might be able to help us," Banai explained. "But we have to go meet them in person and explain to them what happened."

Feemor nodded. "We'll need to return to our mission soon. I'm sorry we can't provide much more help," he said softly.

Banai snorted, gently turning the speeder to the left. "Nonsense, Master Jedi," he said warmly. "You've done so much for us."

Feemor smiled before glancing back at the two other occupants of the speeder. Ahsoka sat directly behind him. Her shoulders were tense, even as she stared out at the open expanse of sand surrounding them.

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, looked perfectly calm. He hasn't spoken since they left the settlement. Feemor couldn't tell if that was normal behavior for him; he was initially under the impression that Obi-Wan was quite good at talking, but maybe he was just as good at _not_ talking.

He'd have to ask Ahsoka later about that.

"Is Ani happy?" Banai asked, turning his head slightly towards the back, towards Obi-Wan. "You—I know you said he's not a Jedi anymore, but is he happy?"

Obi-Wan looked up, and for a moment, his eyes met Feemor's. Feemor couldn't tell what Obi-Wan was thinking about, but whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant. Ahsoka seemed to have come to the same conclusion, but she remained silent.

"He is," Obi-Wan said finally. "He is married now, and his wife is pregnant with twins. They will be born in about a month."

Ahsoka was watching him with curiosity shining in her eyes, but she remained silent. There was every chance that she knew things about Skywalker that Obi-Wan didn't know, but Feemor was sure she didn't want to ruin the moment by saying anything.

Banai smiled, focusing on the speeder's controls for a moment. "I'm glad to hear it," he replied. "Of all of us, Ani always dreamed of getting out of here. Of freedom, you know?"

Feemor glanced back again to see almost a wistful smile on Obi-Wan's face.

"Oh, I know," his brother-padawan said softly.

* * *

 _Kenobi._

 _Kenobi._

 _Kenobi!_

His mind wouldn't stop whispering to him. All he knew was that one word. He didn't know who or what Kenobi was, but whatever it was, it was important. He wanted—no, he _needed_ to find out more about this Kenobi. He needed the _truth_.

"Brother?"

He looked to his right to see a yellow-and-black male Dathomirian just like him watching him with concerned eyes. He reached out and grabbed at the Dathomirian's face, clenching his jaw shut.

Instantly, the Dathomirian grabbed at his hand, trying to pull it away. There was another Dathomirian standing behind the first, eyes wide and bright.

It was at that moment that Maul remembered.

He growled. "Brother," he replied, releasing Savage's face from his grip. Behind Savage, Feral relaxed his stance slightly, but there was still apprehension and confusion in his eyes.

Maul sat up, rubbing at his aching head. His legs…

They were metallic. Cold, strong, _powerful_. He tested the joints carefully, ignoring the phantom pain the movement brought. His legs were gone; he shouldn't be feeling anything at all.

"My…my legs," Maul whispered, still reeling from the shock.

"They have been restored by Mother Talzin," Feral explained, taking a few steps forward.

He could feel his brothers' curiosity in the Force, their confusion about what happened and _how_ Maul survived, but Maul needed to make sure his legs worked. He took off in a sprint into Dathomir's reddened fog, and he let out a primal roar, ignoring the shock of his brothers as they stood behind him.

"My hatred kept my spirit intact, even though my body was not," Maul continued. He continued talking about everything he lost, about the Force, about all the _years_ that somehow passed while Maul was thrown aside, like an animal.

Feral walked up to him and held open his palm, revealing a lightsaber.

Maul lifted a hand and after a few moments, the lightsaber flew into it. The Force _sang_ with the rightness of it. He shivered.

"I was apprentice to the most powerful being in the galaxy once," Maul said. "I was destined to become…so much more. But I was robbed of that destiny by the Jedi. By Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Then you must have your revenge, my brother," Savage replied.

"Yes," Maul said, smiling slightly. "We shall start with revenge."

* * *

 **A/N:** Please note: All the dialogue from the last chapter comes directly from S4E21 of TCW, Brothers.

Thank you for reading! I'll try to have the next chapter done soon.

Please please please review! Reviews make me very happy :)


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hello there! My goodness, it's been a while, hasn't it?

I'm really sorry. I did not intend for it to take me this long to update this story. I may have mentioned it before here (but I /definitely/ said so on tumblr), but this story is not easy to write. And I had a lot of irl commitments that I had to attend to before getting to this story.

Well, anyways, here's a slightly longer-than-usual chapter to make up for the wait! Enjoy! :)

* * *

The Jedi—Billaba—was stunned. She sat back in her chair, eyes wide.

"The Dathomirian Sith from the Battle of Naboo lives?" she asked finally, a few moments after Ventress finished speaking.

Ventress nodded. "Maul," she replied. "His name was—or _is_ , I should say—Darth Maul."

Billaba paled slightly before pressing both hands to her face, covering both of her eyes. "We assumed that he did not survive when Obi-Wan defeated him on Naboo. I was on the Council then. We—the Council—didn't even consider the possibility of his survival."

"Mother Talzin knew about his survival, but she never said anything to my sisters. Sidious might have known, but Tyrannus didn't. I am sure of it," Ventress said.

The Jedi sighed, voice muffled by her palms. "You wish to know where Tano and Kenobi are, so you can warn them," she said. "I understand."

"Kenobi's alive, then?" Ventress asked. Part of her felt relieved, the other part of her was surprised, considering everything that happened to him by Sidious' hands. "What about Skywalker? Has he left the Order?"

"Obi-Wan is alive. He is on a mission with Padawan Tano at the moment," Billaba explained, moving her hands away from her face. "As for Skywalker, he did leave the Jedi Order. I believe he's been running a shop somewhere here on Coruscant."

Ventress pursed her lips. "We might need his help," she said finally.

Billaba raised an eyebrow. "We?" she asked flatly. "What do you hope to do about this, Ventress, if not inform the Council? After you tell Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, what do you intend to do?"

Ventress paused. "I haven't figured that part out yet," she said. "Maul is a danger to Dathomir, to my people. I can't just stand by and let him do as he wishes."

"I know," Billaba said gently. "And I know you struggle to trust the Jedi as I do. But you trust Ahsoka, don't you? And Obi-Wan?" She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "If you are sure you don't want the Council to know, then I will not say anything to them. But I would still like to help, even if you don't trust me."

"You can help by telling me where Tano and Kenobi went," Ventress said.

Billaba stared at her for a long moment. Ventress felt her reach out into the Force, seeking its guidance. "I will tell you what you wish to know, only on one condition," she said finally.

There it was. Exhaling, Ventress closed her eyes. "Billaba, you can't just—"

"One condition, Ventress," the Jedi interrupted, narrowing her eyes. "Or you can forget finding out where they are."

"Fine," Ventress bit back, leaning forward in her own chair. "What is thy bidding, _Jedi_?"

Billaba smiled pleasantly, her eyes sparkling with a sort of mirth. Whatever tension that emanated from her in the Force dissolved in a single moment, leaving Ventress perplexed. "I will come with you to warn them. I can't possibly stay here, knowing what I do now."

Ventress quirked a brow. "You want to help me?"

The idea of a Jedi, a _Council member_ , offering to help her sounded too unrealistic.

Billaba sighed. "Obi-Wan is my friend," she said softly.

"What will you tell your precious Council, then?" Ventress asked. "You can't just leave without any explanation, can you?"

The Jedi smiled softly. "We'll have to leave immediately, before anyone notices," she replied, eyes sparkling with amusement.

Ventress didn't know what Billaba found so funny, but she had to admit that it would be good to have backup.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

If anyone asked him, Caleb Dume was definitely _not_ skipping class for his own amusement.

He was…rather, following the will of the Force.

If the Force was—rather insistently—telling him that he _needed_ to stand behind the statue near the entrance to one of the smaller hangars and wait for something to happen, then what else was he supposed to do? Ignore it?

 _No_.

If Caleb learned anything in the past twelve years of his existence as a Jedi, he had to listen to the Force.

More than that, he had to act on whatever the Force told him to do, no matter how ridiculous it seemed.

Exhaling, he leaned against the statue. For the past few nights, he had some strange dreams. He didn't really know what to think of them, except for the fact that he woke up with his heart racing in his chest, tears running down his face.

He never remembered much of them, except for a red-and-black face with bright yellow eyes. He didn't quite know what to think of it—was it a Zabrak? A Sith?

But all the Masters said that the Sith were _gone_ , because of Anakin Skywalker.

It just…it didn't make sense.

At the sound of quiet footsteps echoing down the corridor, Caleb shifted forward, peering around the corner of the statue. He spotted two figures walking towards him—or rather, towards the hangar entrance.

Caleb's eyes widened as the Force shifted, just slightly.

One of the figures stopped and turned towards him.

"Caleb?"

Sighing, Caleb stepped out from his hiding place, looking up at Master Billaba, who was staring at him with barely-concealed surprise shining in her eyes.

"Master Billaba," he greeted with a nod, keeping his voice as inconspicuous as possible.

"Caleb, what are you doing here?" she asked, glancing at her companion.

"Admiring this statue—" He quickly glanced at the bottom of the statue "—of Master Uvain, Master Billaba," he answered, keeping his voice calm and level.

Master Billaba quirked an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?" she asked softly.

The figure standing next to Billaba cleared their throat and titled their head towards the hangar entrance.

"Are you going somewhere, Master? Who is this?" Caleb asked. The person's head was covered with a standard Jedi robe, and their Force presence seemed to be completely shrouded, virtually invisible, almost unnoticeable. Caleb was not even sure if they were a Jedi.

Master Billaba hesitated, and in that moment, the figure standing next to her spoke up, voice low and rough.

"Take him with us."

Master Billaba pressed her lips together.

"He will tell the Council, Billaba," the mysterious person continued, leaning forward slightly towards Master Billaba. "And we do not have _time_."

Master Billaba let out a quiet sigh. "We are going on a mission that the Council must not know about, Caleb. It's—dangerous, but important."

Caleb tilted his head. "Something's wrong," he realized. "I…I've been having visions, Master Billaba. About a red-and-black man with yellow eyes. You know who that is, don't you? This mission of yours has to do with _him_ , doesn't it?"

Master Billaba stiffened slightly, turning back towards her partner. "It does, Caleb," she whispered hoarsely.

"Then let me come with you," Caleb pleaded. "The Force gave me these visions for a _reason_ , Master."

Master Billaba let out another sigh before she smiled lightly. The person standing next to her tilted their head towards the hangar door again and tapped their wrist. Whoever this was, they were impatient.

"Come along, then. I'll explain once we are in hyperspace," she replied, gesturing towards the hangar entrance. "If the Council asks, I can tell them that I took you on a meditation retreat."

Caleb let out a quiet laugh as he followed them out of the hangar.

* * *

Obi-Wan didn't say anything else for the rest of the ride to Mos Eisley. He only stared intently out of the side of the speeder. Part of Ahsoka wanted to shake his shoulders until he said _something_ , but the other part of her knew that doing that would change absolutely nothing.

Master Feemor seemed to realize the same thing because he kept glancing back at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka with a strange emotion shining in his eyes.

For the first time, Ahsoka realized that Feemor had been on Tatooine for a long time, first with the mission, then getting attacked by the still-missing Lightning Squadron. Then with helping Banai and his village recover from their attack from the Tuskens, asking him for whatever help he could give…and Ahsoka was sure that her and Obi-Wan's arrival only complicated matters for him, not simplified it.

Wasn't he tired?

If he was, he wasn't showing it. Ahsoka had only been on Tatooine for a few days now, but she could already feel it somehow sucking the life out of her, and for the first time she understood Anakin's disdain for it. She couldn't possibly imagine living here for almost a decade, in the grips of horrid slavery.

Banai cleared his throat awkwardly as he drove, breaking the silence.

"So," he said, glancing at Feemor before looking back at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. When none of the Jedi looked back at him, he fell silent.

Ahsoka released a quiet sigh. "So," she echoed, closing her eyes. The second sun was beginning to rise just barely on the horizon, casting the sky in a much brighter orange color. Just looking over in that direction made her eyes water.

"Who are your contacts in Mos Eisley?" Feemor asked, breaking the awkwardness with an almost flat voice. Ahsoka would have laughed at the tone of his voice if she didn't feel so…tense.

Banai let out a quiet laugh, though Ahsoka could barely hear it over the sound of the speeder's engine and the wind almost gusting through them as he drove.

"Let's just say that they're old friends of mine…and of Ani's, though if you asked him, he would have remembered them with more fondness than they probably deserve," Banai answered more loudly.

For some reason she didn't completely understand, Obi-Wan snorted.

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked Banai.

Banai paused, and though Ahsoka couldn't exactly see his face from where she sat in the back of the speeder, she could feel his hesitation in the Force.

"Did he ever tell you about his past, about his time growing up here?" he asked finally, glancing back at her for a moment.

"I know that he was born into slavery," Ahsoka said slowly, remembering what Obi-Wan said when they first arrived on Tatooine. It was a surprising revelation, even after everything that she knew had happened to Anakin after he became a Jedi.

Banai nodded. "He was, and his mother was a slave, too," he replied, voice quiet. "Did he ever talk about it?"

Ahsoka frowned, confused. "I don't—"

"No."

Obi-Wan's voice was quiet, quieter than she had ever heard it. He turned away from staring out from the side of the speeder at the seemingly endless expanse of sand, towards Banai.

"He never did," Obi-Wan continued. His durasteel shields flickered, and for a moment, Ahsoka felt terrible guilt flowing from him, before it slipped back under those shields. "I never even gave him the chance; I was too wrapped up in my own grief that I didn't see the trauma that he had already gone through as a _child_."

"Master—"

"He had always spoken of you, Kitster. And of his friends, his mother, but never the slavery itself. He just— _didn't_ talk about it."

"How's that any different from what you're doing?" Ahsoka burst out, her concern giving way to frustration. "With everything that's happened six months ago—you _don't_ talk about it!"

Feemor spun around in his seat, eyes wide. "Ahsoka, this isn't the right time to—"

"When _is_ the right time?" she shot back, almost shouting over the howl of the speeder's engine. "Every time I bring it up, it's 'Ahsoka, this isn't the right time,' or just complete utter _silence_."

Obi-Wan didn't reply except to turn away and stare out at the horizon again, turning away from the conversation, from confrontation.

Ahsoka's stomach curled at the sight, at the frustration that continued to burn inside of her. A part of her wondered if _this_ was what Anakin felt towards Obi-Wan sometimes because it _burned_ both painfully and wonderfully at the same time.

She couldn't explain it, as much as she wished she could.

The speeder's occupants lapsed into silence once again. Ahsoka could feel the confusion and worry emanating easily from Banai's Force presence, and a desperate part of her wanted to tell him everything, to _make_ him agree with her, but…

"Obi-Wan." Feemor's voice was flat and emotionless, but his presence in the Force was taut with a mixture of emotions that somehow mirrored Ahsoka's.

Obi-Wan didn't move, not even to acknowledge that Feemor had spoken.

"Maybe you should talk about this once we get back to the Temple. If it's to the Healers or to Ahsoka or to me or to anyone else, that's fine. You've seen from what ultimately happened to Anakin that it's not good to just—"

"What are you talking about?" Banai asked, voice sharp. The speeder came to an abrupt stop, nearly throwing all of them forward. He spun around in his seat to glare at Obi-Wan, who stared back at him with blank eyes. "You said that he was fine! That he's _happy_ , married and—"

Obi-Wan held up a hand, cutting him off. "Something is wrong," he murmured, looking out the side of the speeder again.

Ahsoka focused, staring out into the horizon before the Force let out a sharp cry. Then she heard it.

The sound of a missile launcher getting closer and closer to them.

"Get out!" she shouted, and the four of them scrambled out of the speeder, just barely getting far enough away before it exploded.

* * *

"What _was_ that?" Ahsoka asked, staring off towards the horizon, where she probably assumed the launcher must have come from.

Feemor let out a sigh, standing up from his crouched position. "A rocket launcher," he replied neutrally.

Ahsoka spun around and shot him a withering look.

"It's the clones," Obi-Wan said, ignoring them. He was dusting himself off almost nonchalantly as he stood, glancing to his side to see Banai standing up as well.

Feemor blinked. Of course, of _all_ times…

Just when things were about to go right with Banai's village and the Tusken Raider attacks, the clones strike again.

Tatooine was testing his patience more than he had ever expected.

It was supposed to be a simple search for a missing squadron, but somehow, he had gotten himself tangled back into the tattered remains of his lineage, tangling it even more with his lack of knowledge and understanding of what both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka had gone through months ago.

He didn't _ask_ for this. Part of him wished that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka never came here in the first place and that he could just focus on completing his mission.

It would have simplified _everything_.

But another part of him was glad, glad to have met his brother padawan, the only person who was able to bring hope back into their broken lineage and tie it back together.

Feemor exhaled and stared out into the horizon again, where he now saw a line of figures approaching them.

Obi-Wan must have spotted them as well because he appeared to immediately come up with a plan. He turned towards Ahsoka, snapping back into a position of command.

"Ahsoka, you and Master Feemor should stay here and deal with the clones. The mission is important, especially for Master Windu," he said. "Mr. Banai and I will continue towards Mos Eisley and meet with his contact."

Feemor nodded in agreement; it seemed like the most sensible plan at the time. Banai's eyes lit up slightly as he nodded as well.

Ahsoka, however, was shaking her head.

"Master, we have no transport! We shouldn't separate now, not when there's no transport and barely any resources to even protect us from the heat. We won't stand a _chance_!" she protested.

"We need to get to Mos Eisley, and we need to bring those clones back to Coruscant, Ahsoka. Both are important. I can't…" Obi-Wan pressed his lips together, and Feemor felt the unsteadiness, the exhaustion emanating easily from his presence. "It would be better if you two faced the clones. We'll rendezvous in a few hours, no matter what happens."

Ahsoka deflated, her montrals lowering slightly before she nodded, though there was uncertainty and worry in the gesture.

Obi-Wan smiled gently before his gaze shifted towards Feemor. "Be safe, both of you," he said softly. "May the Force be with you."

Feemor felt a warmth gathering in his chest. "We'll see you soon, little brother," he replied before turning towards Banai. "I wish the best for your village, Mr. Banai."

Banai nodded gratefully. "Thank you for all your help, Master Feemor. We couldn't have survived the Tusken attack without your support," he said.

"I'm glad to have helped," Feemor said. He looked back at the horizon, at the line of clones quickly approaching them. "You must hurry before they arrive. We'll contact you once it's over and meet back at your ship."

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, and with that, he left with Banai, leaving Feemor with Ahsoka.

"It's going to be alright," Feemor murmured. He turned towards Ahsoka with a gentle smile. The Force felt strange to him, as though it was shrouded with uncertainty, with something he couldn't completely understand.

It didn't necessarily feel _wrong_ , but it certainly did not feel right.

Ahsoka nodded. "I really hope so, Master Feemor," she said softly. She glanced towards Obi-Wan and Banai's retreating figures, barely visible against Tatooine's bright horizon. With a quiet sigh, she turned back to face Feemor, eyes shining with determination.

Feemor nodded and pulled his lightsaber off his belt, igniting it.

The time had come.

* * *

 _He was falling._

 _The world spun around him, almost mercilessly. Anakin couldn't make sense of it, of anything that was happening._

" _What have you done?"_

 _Anakin spun around as the world seemed to come to a screeching halt. Before him, Obi-Wan stared at him with wide eyes and wavering stability. The blood dripping out of his nose and mouth contrasted starkly with the pallor of his face._

" _Anakin," Obi-Wan said, voice trembling. Behind him, the Chancellor laughed, eyes shining a sickly yellow. Palpatine lifted a hand, and Obi-Wan crashed into the wall beside him, immediately crumpling to the ground. He didn't move._

 _Palpatine's gaze shifted away from Obi-Wan, staring intently at Anakin with unrestrained glee shining in his eyes._

" _My boy," he said, voice harsh and grating, "did you really think it was all over? Did you really think that you were free?"_

 _Before he could say anything else, Anakin was swept up, away from the Chancellor's office, and the world seemed to spin and fly around him until he landed flat on his stomach._

 _He breathed in, and immediately got a mouthful of sand. Anakin spat and coughed it out before rolling onto his back, staring up at Tatooine's twin suns._

" _What?" he murmured, before the sound of heavy footsteps approached him._

" _Finally."_

 _The voice was unfamiliar, low-pitched and menacing, sending ice through Anakin's veins. He tried to move, to get up and see who was behind him, but he was frozen in place._

" _Finally," the voice continued, and Anakin shivered, despite the heat of the suns burning down on him, despite the sweat sticking to his skin. "I'll have my revenge."_

 _A lightsaber ignited, and Anakin's heart raced in his chest as a bright red blade came down towards his chest from somewhere behind him._

"Anakin!"

Padmé's concerned face swam into view, and then he sat up, chest heaving. Anakin looked around, realizing that he wasn't on Tatooine _or_ in the Chancellor's office, but he was home.

His wife sighed quietly. "You had another dream, Ani?" she asked.

Anakin nodded, unable to speak. What was he supposed to say? Usually his dreams were so simple to understand, but this was unlike any other dream or vision he'd had in the past.

He didn't understand what this was exactly or what it meant, but…

But it couldn't be _good_. Especially if he was having this dream over and over again for the past few nights. It just made no sense.

"Was it the same one as before?" Padmé asked.

Anakin nodded again. "I—" he managed, and his throat closed up, as though he could still feel the sand trapped in it. He struggled to take a few even breaths, to steady himself.

"I don't know what it means," he said slowly. "I can't just…I don't _know_."

"It's alright, Anakin," his wife replied soothingly, rubbing his arm. She pulled him carefully into a hug, bringing his head onto her shoulder.

Anakin melted into her embrace, shuddering. "I'm scared, Padmé," he whispered. "I'm so _scared_."

"I know," Padmé said softly, rubbing her hand gently between his shoulder blades.

Anakin closed his eyes, exhaustion seeping into his veins. He let himself drift into the warmth, into the chance of forgetting, just for a few moments, the confusion, the uncertainty, and the Force feeling so strange and _different_.

Then, his commlink let out a sharp beep.

Anakin sighed, lifting his head off of Padmé's shoulder. He moved to the edge of the bed and reached for his commlink. Anakin stared at it, surprised to see a message in the middle of the night from the very last person he expected to contact him at this hour.

Padmé carefully shifted herself so that she was sitting next to him. "What is it?" she asked.

Anakin shook his head, stunned. "It's—it's Master Windu. He wants to speak privately at the Temple. Says it's important."

He hadn't come back to the Temple since he left the Order. Just the thought of doing that, of walking those halls again and feeling the heavy weight of the Jedi surrounding him, _judging_ him, made him nauseous.

"Something's going to happen," he said, turning towards her. "And I don't know if I can stop it."

* * *

Grunting, Ahsoka dodged another blaster bolt and brought her shoto up to deflect it. Master Feemor showed no sign of slowing down, his lightsaber moving at nearly a breakneck speed. He appeared to use some variant of Ataru, almost similar to Master Qui-Gon's dueling style, but with more speed than Qui-Gon used when he was here.

Commander Ponds was ruthless. More than that, Ahsoka realized, he was _smart_. The clones somehow had a wide variety of weapons, and they stayed mostly on the defense and used Tatooine's blinding heat to their advantage.

"Any ideas?" Ahsoka shouted. She quickly brushed away the sweat on her forehead, desperately wishing there was a spot of shade or at least _something_ that would cool her down. Tatooine's twin suns had reached the highest point in the sky, beating down on its surface almost ruthlessly.

If they didn't do something quickly to detain the clones, they would soon be in a lot of trouble.

Feemor glanced at her, eyes glinting with a mixture of amusement and exhaustion.

It turned out that she was right, that Feemor _was_ tired from being on Tatooine for so long, from having so much happen in the span of a few weeks.

That realization sat cold in her stomach, along with the knowledge that this confrontation was not going to end well.

At that moment, Master Feemor frowned, deflecting a volley of blaster bolts.

The Force shivered.

Then, she heard the sound of a lightsaber igniting.

"Master?" Ahsoka called, wondering if Obi-Wan and Banai had decided to come back and help them.

It wasn't Obi-Wan. She turned around to see two figures standing before her and Feemor.

In the distance, she heard the clones shout before they retreated, leaving them alone with the two people.

Two large Zabraks stood in front of her, both yellow-and-black colored and each holding a red lightsaber. She found herself remembering the creature that had killed Master Qui-Gon all those years ago, but—but Obi-Wan killed him afterwards. She remembered hearing about it after it had happened; it was all _anyone_ in the Temple talked about in the weeks that followed.

She knew the truth.

Darth Maul was _dead_.

This must be a coincidence, nothing more.

Feemor exhaled, pressing his lips together. "Sith?" he murmured. He brought his lightsaber back into the classic Ataru opening pose.

"It can't be," Ahsoka replied softly, shaking her head.

Without saying a single word, the Zabrak standing in front of her flew forward with near-impossible speed. Ahsoka blocked the blow, watching as Feemor engaged the other Zabrak.

Ahsoka realized very quickly that the Zabraks were both extremely strong, both physically and in the Force. Ahsoka found herself on the defense almost instantly, struggling to keep up with the might of her opponent.

She glanced towards Feemor, who was intently focused on his opponent. Their blades were locked, Feemor visibly struggling under the immense weight of the Zabrak. His arms were trembling, sweat was dripping down his face, and his mouth was twisted into a pained grimace.

Ahsoka spun towards her opponent, pushing him back with the Force. The Zabrak skidded back a few steps, but Ahsoka managed to hold him in place. She turned back towards Feemor, and her eyes widened.

"Master!" she shouted in warning, just before the Zabrak pulled a fist back and swung it into Feemor's face.

Feemor gasped and dropped onto his knees, gripping his head. Blood dripped onto the sand directly underneath him.

With a roar, the Zabrak standing before him lifted Feemor up with the Force and threw him sideways. She felt his Force presence drift into unconsciousness as he slammed onto the ground before the two Zabraks turned towards her, eyes glinting.

"Oh, no," she murmured, settling herself into an easy Shien opening stance.

This was _not_ good.

* * *

Banai talked a _lot_ when he didn't know what to say.

It made sense, considering Anakin used to do the same thing when he first arrived at the Temple, when he first became Obi-Wan's Padawan.

They trudged along the open expanse of desert, stopping occasionally for shade or a few sips of water when necessary, though both Banai and Obi-Wan were careful to only drink as much water as they needed, since they were steadily running out of supplies.

The mission was hardly even a mission, but it was exhausting him quickly. There was a persistent ache at the base of his skull, his limbs felt heavy and cold, and breathing too deeply seemed to result in a coughing fit of some sort.

Tatooine was breaking him down, and it was doing so _quickly_.

"My point is this, Master Kenobi: Ani desired freedom, and from what I'm hearing from you and Master Feemor and Ahsoka, it doesn't sound like he got it," Banai said, staring straight ahead. Obi-Wan could easily sense his frustration in the Force.

Obi-Wan let out a sigh. "It's difficult to explain, Kitster," he said. He hardly was able to explain it to himself; how would he tell one of Anakin's childhood friends what happened, especially without ruining the memory Banai probably had of Anakin?

He couldn't do that to him.

"Anakin had a difficult time as a Jedi. He only realized that he wanted to leave after some…drastic events had occurred," Obi-Wan explained. "He left, and since then, he's been happy and free."

Well, he assumed that Anakin was happy. They hadn't had a proper conversation since before…

He shook his head. He needed to stay in the present, like Qui-Gon always said.

"But what happened?" Banai pressed, eyes wide.

"Anakin should be the one to tell you," Obi-Wan replied. "He's—I will tell him that we met you once we return to Coruscant. He will be very glad to hear it."

Banai's face stretched into a bright smile. "Thank you, Master Kenobi," he said. "After he left, we were so worried about him. He always said that if he became a Jedi, he would come back and free us."

"But he didn't," Obi-Wan said. "He tried, Kitster, I just—"

He shook his head slowly and let out a sigh. "It's too complicated," he murmured.

Banai nodded. "If it truly is, I just hope I can speak to him again. It's been so long."

"I understand," Obi-Wan replied.

They kept walking continued in comfortable silence. Obi-Wan kept his eyes on the ground, realizing that staring at the sky at all caused his eyes to water and his head to pound. He could feel his clothes sticking to him from the sweat, the sand gritting roughly onto his skin, the excruciating heat, and—

The Force _screamed_.

Obi-Wan spun to face Banai, only to see a red lightsaber stabbed into his chest. Banai let out a choking sound, his Force presence immediately awash with agony. In an instant the lightsaber slid out of his body, Banai's eyes closed, and he crumpled to the ground as his death shattered into the Force.

Obi-Wan stood frozen, staring at the being who had snuck up on them and killed Anakin's childhood friend.

It was a Zabrak, a black-and-red one, just like—

"Kenobi," the being uttered, and the voice sent ice through his veins. The Zabrak had mechanical legs and crazed yellow eyes, and he appeared to know his name.

Banai's body lay between them, but in that moment, Obi-Wan found himself back in that generator in Theed's palace all those years ago, trapped behind red ray shields, watching his Master fall.

His heart lurched. "No," he croaked, shaking his head.

Darth Maul's face split into a wide grin. "Oh, yes," he replied, and Maul raced forwards towards Obi-Wan, lightsaber at the ready.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello! It's not as bad a wait as last time, right? *waggles eyebrows* Still, sorry it took longer than I expected!**

 **Also, just a warning: this chapter does have some mentions of blood and what I would qualify as TCW canon-typical violence.**

 **Alright, enjoy!**

* * *

Caleb shivered, wrapping his arms tightly around himself. Master Billaba's eyes were dark, staring sightlessly out of the viewport into the depths of hyperspace. The Dathomirian witch—Ventress—sat silently in the copilot's seat, arms crossed. Her Force presence remained almost nonexistent, even after the ship went into hyperspace.

The Force felt _bad_ , similar to how it felt when the clones turned on the Jedi, leading to Anakin Skywalker leaving the Jedi Order, though Caleb didn't completely understand why that had happened.

It seemed like Skywalker had always known what he was doing, but now Caleb couldn't help but wonder how much of that was a façade on Skywalker's part.

Well, it didn't matter now. Anakin Skywalker was no longer a Jedi.

"We're too late," Ventress muttered for probably the tenth time.

Master Billaba sighed softly in response, pulling her eyes away from the viewport.

Once the ship was put into hyperspace, Master Billaba had told him what was happening. She explained that there was a Sith Lord over a decade ago, the very first one to emerge in recent memory, who was thought to be dead.

According to Ventress, Darth Maul was alive, and he craved revenge against the Jedi who struck him down all those years ago.

And that Jedi was Master Kenobi, who was on Tatooine with Ahsoka and had no idea that Maul survived.

Caleb shivered again. Maul was the red-and-black Zabrak he'd been dreaming about over the past few days, which meant that—

"Caleb."

Master Billaba's eyes were focused on him, glittering strangely in the dim light. The jewel on her forehead sparkled, its light warm and reassuring.

"Yes, Master Billaba?" he asked.

"When we arrive, you should stay on the ship while Ventress and I search for Obi-Wan. If…if something happens, you must keep the ship ready for the jump into hyperspace," she replied softly.

A part of him wanted to protest, to say that he needed to come with them, but Caleb nodded. He had performed well enough on his piloting simulations to know how to move the ship if needed. However, he stood no chance against a crazed Sith Lord.

He would do what he had to do, no matter what.

"I'll stay here," he promised, and he intended on doing exactly that.

* * *

Obi-Wan shifted and ignited his blade, barely managing to block in time.

"I don't— _how_?" he grunted, immediately struggling against the sheer amount of strength and fury that the Sith was pressing towards him.

Darth Maul let out a cold laugh. "How, you ask?" he taunted.

"I distinctly remember cutting you in half," Obi-Wan replied, and he pulled back, allowing himself a moment to breathe. He used the back of his left hand to wipe away the sweat gathering on his forehead.

Instead of lunging forward to attack again, Maul paused, tilting his head.

"You're different, Kenobi," he said. "The Dark Side—it broke you, _shattered_ you. And now you're trying to hold the pieces in place and somehow glue them back together, but it's not working, isn't it?"

Obi-Wan breathed slowly, glancing at Banai's body. Kitster didn't deserve this; he only was trying to save his village.

Because of him, because of all of this, the village will fall.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. He needed to focus, not to think about what Maul surviving actually meant.

He was fairly sure that he wouldn't last against Maul like this.

He only had to hope that the Force would give him enough strength to get out of this alive.

Ahsoka needed him, after all.

"You're wrong," Obi-Wan said, letting the lie fall easily out of his mouth. "Don't you realize what happened? The Sith are gone; your master's plans have failed."

"Did they?" Maul asked, raising a brow before he lunged forwards, driving his saberstaff towards Obi-Wan's head. Obi-Wan brought up his own saber and blocked the blow.

"You're _weak_ , Kenobi," Maul hissed, eyes glowing as he pushed down, bringing both blades closer to Obi-Wan's head. "Your Master is _gone_ , and soon I will make sure anyone you have ever cared about will follow in his footsteps."

Maul's strikes began to increase in speed and ferocity, and Obi-Wan found himself barely managing to keep up. The Force was oddly silent, almost as though it was observing, waiting with bated breath.

He didn't understand how this was happening. He remembered Qui-Gon's death all too well and the moments that followed—the shock, the anger, the _horror_ that rolled through him as it happened.

The bond he once had with Qui-Gon shattering, leaving his mind damaged in its wake.

Everything that he did since Qui-Gon's death was a farce—his Knighting, training Anakin, becoming a Master, joining the Council.

It was all a lie.

Obi-Wan shook his head, desperately trying to focus on what was happening right in front of him, but it was all too much.

Maul let out a screech and slammed a clawed foot into Obi-Wan's middle. Obi-Wan flew back and landed on his side a few feet away, gasping and then accidentally breathing in sand. He choked harshly and rolled onto his back, grimacing at the pain that laced through his ribs at the movement.

He felt the vibrations of heavy footsteps approaching him, and then he was being lifted by the collar of his robes. Through his blurred vision, all he saw was the bright yellow of Maul's eyes surrounded by a red and black blur.

" _Weak_ ," Maul hissed. "Just like you were all those years ago, Obi-Wan. What would your Master say if he saw you like this?"

Unable to reply, Obi-Wan coughed up more sand, eyes watering. He felt like he couldn't breathe, let alone speak.

Maul's fist slammed into his gut. Obi-Wan choked as pain shot through his ribs and climbed up his throat.

"You failed him, Kenobi."

He heard Maul's lightsaber hiss before he felt it graze across his ribs, just enough to burn.

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound. Without warning, Maul loosened his grip on his collar, and he dropped onto the ground, curled up on his side.

Then he felt it.

Maul's Force presence slithered seemingly out of nowhere, slamming directly onto his frayed shields. Obi-Wan closed his eyes as agony shot through his head and immediately strengthened his shields as much as he could.

Through closed eyelids, he saw flashes of the Chancellor's office and heard the high-pitched laughter of the Sith Master, mixing eerily with Maul's taunts.

And somewhere in the background, he heard something else.

" _Die Jedi, Die Jedi, Die Jedi, Die Jedi, Die Jedi…"_

He felt himself thrashing on the ground, struggling to breathe, to think, to _overcome_.

Just as his shields crashed down, broken into tatters, Maul retreated from his mind and everything came to a grinding stop as the world slipped into blessed darkness.

His eyes snapped open what felt like moments later as he was dragged upwards to his feet with hands holding tightly onto his wrists, knees immediately buckling under his own weight. The world spun quickly around him, the brightness of Tatooine's suns stabbing painfully into his eyes.

He barely registered being pushed down onto his knees and his wrists being pulled together behind him before the Force went completely silent as it snapped away from him, leaving his mind empty and raw. He gritted his teeth as a fresh wave of pain washed over him, bowing his head.

Then a familiar sound echoed through the air.

"Master!"

His heart sank to his stomach, and his body instantly went cold under the burning heat of Tatooine's suns.

"Ahsoka?" he breathed. Obi-Wan squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments and opened them again, seeing the blurred shape of his padawan kneeling a few feet in front of him, her wrists held behind her back with a set of Force dampening cuffs.

Next to her, Feemor lay on his stomach, eyes closed and face bloodied. Behind Ahsoka and Feemor stood two monstrous yellow-and-black Zabraks with bright yellow eyes, both staring at Maul, as though they were waiting for him to say or do something.

Maul grinned, revealing dirty-white teeth stained with sickening mirth. He turned towards Feemor. "Wake him up," he said to the Zabrak standing directly behind him.

The Zabrak stalked forward and pulled Feemor up to his knees before slapping him brutally across the face. With a gasp, Feemor opened his eyes and looked at Obi-Wan.

"Obi-Wan?" he rasped, eyes fluttering as he swayed. The Zabrak brutally grabbed at his wrists and snapped a set of Force dampening cuffs around them as well, though Obi-Wan was sure that even with the Force, Feemor wouldn't have been able to do much.

Feemor let out a pained exhale. He was still swaying slightly and blinking heavily, but when his eyes met Obi-Wan's, there was a light of understanding flickering in their depths.

"Welcome back, Master Jedi. Did you sleep well?" Maul asked. He stood between Obi-Wan and Feemor, turned slightly towards the latter.

Feemor's eyes shifted away from Obi-Wan, and he stared up at Maul with defiance shining in his eyes.

Maul let out a bark of cruel laughter before he walked in front of Obi-Wan and kneeled in front of him, his metallic legs squeaking unnervingly at the movement.

"Well, Kenobi," he said, smiling viciously. "Which one should I kill first? Your brother padawan or your apprentice?"

Obi-Wan looked at Ahsoka, who stared back at him with wide eyes, and Feemor, who appeared to be slightly dazed.

This couldn't be happening; it had to be a nightmare or a vision or something similar. If he waited, he might wake up from all of this and realize that none of this was true.

But deep down, he knew this was real and that this situation was hopeless. There was simply no way out.

"Let them go," he murmured, choosing to appeal to whatever was left of Maul's sanity. "Please. Your conflict is with me, not with them."

Maul shook his head, though his smile grew wider. " _Choose_ , Kenobi. Or else I will make the decision for you."

Obi-Wan looked at Feemor and Ahsoka, voice drying in his throat.

"I cannot."

 _I'm so sorry_.

Maul sighed. "Savage," he said, then the Zabrak standing directly behind Feemor, the larger of the two, stepped forwards and, in a smooth motion, plunged his ignited lightsaber through Feemor's back into his chest.

Ahsoka let out a scream, but Obi-Wan barely heard it over the sound of Feemor's shocked exhale.

Time seemed to stop for a few moments as Obi-Wan watched Feemor breathe raggedly around the lightsaber embedded in his chest. He bowed his head, staring almost incredulously at the red shaft of light, before he lifted his head.

"Don't worry," Feemor said hoarsely, then his face twisted. The blood coating his face appeared brighter along with the harsh crimson light of the saber.

The Zabrak, still holding the hilt of the lightsaber, pulled it brutally out of Feemor's chest before swiping it across Feemor's back. Feemor landed heavily on his side with a pained gasp.

If Obi-Wan was able to feel the Force at this moment, he was sure he would have easily felt Feemor's pain screaming out into it.

"Please, stop," he whispered. "He didn't do anything; it's me. _I'm_ the one who cut you in half, Darth."

"It's a little too late for that," Maul hissed, grabbing at Obi-Wan's hair as he pulled himself to his feet. He dragged Obi-Wan across the sand none-too-gently, dropping him in front of Feemor.

Feemor, still laying on his side, breathing unevenly, blinked up at him slowly, eyes red.

"I'm…glad," he whispered, and he glanced at Ahsoka, who was listening with tears running down her cheeks. She started to push herself closer to Feemor, but she was blocked by the second Zabrak stepping directly in her path, lightsaber pointed to her neck.

Though his hands were bound behind him, Obi-Wan pulled himself forward, carefully managing to put Feemor's head on his lap.

Feemor looked up at him, and Obi-Wan could clearly see the hole in the center of his chest, cauterized by the heat of the lightsaber but still fatal.

"I'm glad…I got to meet you," Feemor said between heavy breaths. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. "Proud…"

Feemor let out a wheeze, and his eyes glazed over before he went completely still.

Maul chuckled, grabbing Obi-Wan's wrists and dragging him away from Feemor's body until he was in front of Ahsoka, whose eyes were bright with tears.

"Now, Kenobi. How would you like your apprentice to die?" Maul asked, kneeling down again right next to Obi-Wan.

* * *

"We need to hurry," Depa said softly.

"Well, if you have any idea where they might be, I'm all ears," Ventress snapped, eyes flashing.

They had been trudging through Tatooine's sands for a while, unable to find Obi-Wan or Ahsoka over the almost smothering layer of darkness that had somehow wrapped itself around the planet. Ventress wasn't able to sense Maul or his brothers either.

Depa was beginning to think that wandering aimlessly around the desert was getting them nowhere.

She sighed, staring off into the horizon for something, for any indication that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were there. She'd tried to reach them over commlink as soon as they left the ship, but she got no response.

It was as though everything had already gone wrong, and she was too late.

If she was, then Maul might have already arrived on Tatooine and confronted Obi-Wan, which meant that—

Death rang out into the Force.

Depa shuddered, glancing at Ventress, who continued walking as though nothing had happened. The only indication that Ventress felt it as well was her lips being tightly pressed together, almost in discomfort.

Then she felt a flicker of three presences, originating somewhere ahead. Her eyes widened as she turned to Ventress, who nodded in response.

They ran.

Depa felt the heat of the suns beating on her back, the sweat, the sand, the Force growing steadily more and more dark.

She couldn't exactly sense Obi-Wan or Ahsoka at all, but there was pain pressing against her shields, and then she felt the icy coldness of a Sith Lord, along with two others bleeding darkness.

They continued running, closer and closer to the presences, and Depa began to feel a sense of hope, that maybe they weren't too late.

Maybe they arrived just in time.

The Force _screamed_ loudly and painfully in her mind. Depa resisted the urge to clamp her hands over her ears.

The image of fragile glass falling to the ground and shattering came to her mind, though she didn't understand why.

"Billaba!"

Depa blinked the image away, turning towards Ventress. The Nightsister was kneeling a few feet away next to a body covered with sand.

Depa's insides turned to ice, and her heart lurched in her chest.

 _No, no, no, no…_

She ran forward and fell to her knees next to the body, breathing heavily.

It was a human man with dark hair and skin, his face curled into a grimace. There was a gruesome hole in the center of his chest, a wound that can only be inflicted by a lightsaber.

"They were here," Ventress said softly.

Depa nodded. "But where are they now? And where is Obi-Wan and Ahsoka?" she asked.

"We need to keep going," Ventress replied, staring off into the horizon. "We're too late."

* * *

The Temple looked exactly the same as it did months ago.

Anakin wasn't sure why he expected otherwise. The Jedi Order was beginning to change when he left, but that didn't mean _everything_ would be different six months later.

As he walked up the main staircase, just in those moments, it felt like he never left at all.

Almost by habit, he turned towards the residential wing, intent on walking back to his apartment. Then he stopped, remembering that he no longer belonged here.

Because he betrayed the Jedi in the worst way possible and then chose to walk away.

Anakin knew he was lucky, that he deserved a lot worse for what he did. Even during the days right after the Chancellor's death and right after leaving the Order, Anakin half-expected Master Windu to show up at his doorstep to arrest him, or worse.

But none of that happened.

He couldn't help but wonder if it was because of Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan wouldn't forgive him, and yet, Anakin knew that it was because of Obi-Wan that he was able to live a life of peace, to open his shop and run it without any disturbance.

But now, things were different.

"Skywalker."

Still facing the entrance to the residential wing, Anakin turned around. Master Windu stood a few yards behind him, face pulled into a deep frown.

"Master Windu," Anakin managed, voice protesting slightly. He walked closer to the Jedi Master, noting the slight slump in his shoulders. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" he asked lightheartedly.

Master Windu cocked an eyebrow, clearly not in the mood for banter.

Well, things really didn't change that much, then. Anakin wasn't sure why he expected otherwise.

"This way." Master Windu gestured towards another hallway, and Anakin followed him out of the central chamber towards the smaller meditation rooms generally used for paired meditation.

As he walked through the corridor, Anakin remembered running through the Temple's halls. He remembered Obi-Wan walking him through these corridors the very first time he arrived at the Temple, back when he had only just left Tatooine behind, excited yet unsure.

He remembered growing up in the Temple, learning about the Jedi and the Force and _everything_.

But in the end, it was his own insecurities, his own fears that lead him astray.

To him, Palpatine was everything that Obi-Wan was not, and he had sought that attention, that _understanding_ much like a drowning man searching for air.

Master Windu lead him to one of the small meditation chambers typically assigned to Masters. Anakin raised his eyebrows, surprised, but he followed Windu inside, nonetheless.

Once they were settled on the meditation cushions, sitting across from each other, Master Windu spoke, his voice grave.

"There are a few things you need to know, though I suspect you already know about some of these," he said.

"Okay." Anakin nodded.

"I sent Master Kenobi and Padawan Tano to Tatooine on a mission, but I lost contact with them not long after they landed."

"Ahsoka told me they were going there," Anakin said. "But I…haven't heard from them either."

Master Windu let out a deep sigh, and his shoulders slumped, causing Anakin's eyes to widen slightly. The Jedi Master always seemed emotionless, never outwardly betraying any of his emotions.

Until now.

"I suspected as much," Master Windu replied, glancing momentarily out the window. "Since they left, I began to see shatterpoints everywhere. I can't make sense of it. The Force is—disjointed."

"I'm having visions that don't make sense," Anakin admitted. "Before, they were always clear, but now I'm worried because I don't know what's coming."

Master Windu nodded, passing a hand over his brow. His exhaustion seemed to be more obvious, more noticeable now.

Anakin often wondered how the Order fared since they broke away from the Senate to operate on their own. He knew that they had less funding and less support, but it seemed like they managed to remain standing strong, at least outwardly.

How much did the Order actually change?

"There's something else," Master Windu murmured, looking directly at Anakin. "Master Billaba went to Tatooine with Asajj Ventress."

Anakin blinked. "Wait, she's awake?" he asked, then shook his head. "Why would she go there with Ventress, of all people?"

"She didn't say," Master Windu answered. "I don't understand Ventress' role in all this; she only ever trusted Padawan Tano."

"I know," Anakin said softly, remembering how much time Ahsoka spent with Ventress during his last days in the Order.

Both Jedi and former Jedi lapsed into silence. Anakin found himself more confused than he was immediately after his vision.

 _Depa and Ventress? Why would they go to Tatooine, especially when Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are already there?_

"This…this could mean that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are in trouble," Anakin said slowly, feeling his heart begin to race in his chest.

 _Oh, no, this is no good. I need to speak to Obi-Wan, Ahsoka is all that's holding us together; I can't lose them, not now._

 _Not like this._

"It could," Master Windu said softly.

He remembered his vision—Obi-Wan, bleeding, falling apart and shattering all over again because of Palpatine. And Palpatine's words, his laughter, his promise of revenge.

"I should go there, too," Anakin whispered, wincing as his voice cracked.

Master Windu shook his head. "If that's what you wish, I won't stop you. But I believe that you're already too late. The Force is saying as much."

Anakin shook his head. "They _need_ me," he said.

"Depa and Ventress are already there," Master Windu said. "You must trust them, if you refuse to trust in the Force."

 _I do trust the Force_ , Anakin wanted to say. But instead, he pressed his lips together, unsure of what to say.

A year ago, he would have dropped everything and rushed over to Tatooine without any thought. He would have risked everything because he had _nothing_.

But now, after everything that had happened, he had so much more to lose.

Padmé and his unborn twins, his shop, his _family_.

He had a life that he couldn't afford to lose.

"I trust them," he said softly, surprising himself. "And I do trust the Force, for what it's worth."

Master Windu raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything.

"If neither of us hear anything by tomorrow evening, I will leave for Tatooine then," Anakin continued.

Windu nodded. "That's fair," he said. "I will let you know if anything changes."

"Thanks, Master Windu."

Anakin left quickly, rushing back to his speeder.

Nothing made sense anymore, and he didn't really want to think about it. He assumed beforehand that the conversation with Master Windu would clarify some things, but now, he felt more worried and confused than before.

But now he had to wait, as much as he _hated_ waiting.

"Please be alright," he murmured to the skies before he left the Temple behind, speeding towards home.

* * *

" _How would you like your apprentice to die?"_

Obi-Wan breathed deeply, ignoring the pain that laced through his ribs at the movement. Breathing was getting difficult, his vision was getting quite blurry, and without the Force, his mind felt raw, burned at the seams.

Ahsoka's eyes were wide and teary, her jaw set.

Maul's face was split into a wide grin. "Well?" he taunted. "If you don't give me an answer, I'll just go ahead and decide _for_ you. I—"

Obi-Wan spun around and plucked his lightsaber off of Maul's belt before igniting and spinning it carefully in his hands to cut his restraints away.

The Force rushing back to him, spilling into his mind _too_ quickly and painfully, nearly caused his knees to buckle at the sensation. Obi-Wan ignored it, flinging a hand in front of him to push Maul and the Zabrak called Savage back.

Before the remaining Zabrak could react, Obi-Wan pulled his lightsaber up and snapped it across his neck, watching with grim satisfaction as his head dropped to the sand, followed quickly by the rest of his body.

Savage let out an echoing, enraged roar before he leapt forward, lightsaber ignited. Next to Savage, Maul's face was twisted into terrible fury.

"Master!" Ahsoka shouted, struggling to break out of her restraints. Her voice was fraught with terror, and her eyes were wider than before, shining with worry.

Obi-Wan splayed a hand forward, and the Force rushed forward, scraping painfully in his mind. He let out a hiss, feeling something dribble out of his nose into his beard.

The overwhelming taste of iron met his lips. His nose was bleeding, _again_.

He wiped it away with the back of his free hand as quickly as he could, but the blood continued to flow, almost mercilessly.

Savage didn't budge, instead driving his lightsaber towards Obi-Wan's head. Obi-Wan blocked, feeling his arms tremble from the effort.

Obi-Wan focused on keeping up, on just blocking. Reaching for the Force sent fiery pain through his mind, and it wasn't effective at all. Savage was ruthless; each blow was heavy, enhanced both with Savage's physical strength and his strength in the Force.

It was exhausting, but Obi-Wan managed to keep up.

But then he realized his mistake.

 _Maul_.

He saw the flash of the vibroblade glinting against the suns before it slid into his stomach, Maul's hand wrapped tightly against the hilt. Obi-Wan heard Ahsoka shouting something, but he couldn't hear her over the ringing in his ears.

His lightsaber slipped out of his fingers, extinguishing as it fell to the ground by his feet.

Time stopped.

For a moment, there was no pain, no one around him, nothing. The Force was silent; the _universe_ itself was silent.

And just for that moment, Obi-Wan felt as though his Master was standing behind him, supporting him, watching him carefully.

" _Master,"_ he whispered.

Qui-Gon didn't reply, but his Force presence seemed to expand for a moment, brushing against Obi-Wan's shattered one carefully.

 _I'm proud of you, Padawan_.

The moment passed, and time resumed.

The pain crashed into Obi-Wan, and he coughed, feeling blood spill out of his mouth. He looked down, seeing the vibroblade stabbed into his gut.

"Master!"

Ahsoka's voice was tremulous, shakier than he had ever heard it. Her face was wet with tears and sweat, and Savage's lightsaber was pointed right at her neck, threatening him even now.

The blood dripped down his chin onto his collar, staining his tunic. He coughed again, jerking slightly. His vision blurred as the movement jarred the vibroblade.

Ahsoka was still screaming, but he couldn't make sense of it, of any of it.

And the Force was so warm and quiet and still, almost in a welcoming way. It would be so nice to just… _let_ _go_.

"'Soka," he breathed, then everything turned black.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hello, and Happy New Year!

I'm so sorry about the delay (again), but I finally managed to get this chapter in order. It only took me, like, six months this time.

ALSO: this chapter is, like, _really_ dark. There is a lot of grief and really intense emotions, all around. Also there are mentions of blood, as has been the case for the previous chapters. Please take care of yourselves.

* * *

Qui-Gon frowned. "Obi-Wan needs me," he murmured, wanting nothing more than to be able to appear before his Padawan.

Ever since the Son appeared, Qui-Gon found himself unable to meditate as deeply as he normally did. The Force was not as warm and bright as it was when he first arrived, and that change was jarring.

He couldn't focus, not when so much was going wrong and he couldn't do anything beyond watching it all happen.

" _Jedi."_

Opening his eyes, Qui-Gon turned to see the Daughter standing before him, her eyes bright with compassion.

"Why are you here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you see what has happened, what your brother claims to be right?"

The Force being narrowed her eyes, and Qui-Gon felt the Force shift uncomfortably, roiling somewhere deep in his gut.

"My brother may have turned to the Dark," the Daughter said, voice echoing eerily around her, "but Light and Dark must be balanced. They are only reflections of each other—two sides of the same coin, if you wish to use a metaphor."

"I _know_ that." Qui-Gon took a few steps forward, meeting the Daughter's eyes evenly. "But that does not mean that Obi-Wan deserves this, after everything that he had already gone through. Have you forgotten?"

The Daughter's face twisted, and her eyes dragged away from Qui-Gon's as she bowed her head. "I feel for him," she murmured. "But the Force does not play favorites, and above everything, my brother, father, and I are beings born of the Force. We must follow its decree, no matter how difficult it may be."

Frustration welled from somewhere deep inside of him.

"He needs me," Qui-Gon insisted, voice cracking.

"Not yet," the Daughter replied softly. "The time will come, Jedi, but for now, you cannot interfere. What will happen must come to pass."

"But—"

The Daughter raised an eyebrow. "Trust the Force, Jedi," she murmured, and before Qui-Gon could say anything else, she disappeared in a flash of dazzling bright light.

"I do," Qui-Gon whispered, turning back around to continue watching everything unfold.

* * *

The ship was silent.

Caleb sat on the pilot's seat, staring out the viewport at the open expanse of sand.

He didn't know exactly what he expected when they landed on Tatooine. He'd heard the stories about Tatooine, about the sand, the desert, the whisper of slavery.

What he never heard about was the monotony, the fact that there was just…sand, sand, and more sand.

He sighed, crossing both hands over his chest and leaning back in the chair.

Master Billaba and Ventress had been gone for about twenty minutes now, and the Force had only continued to get more and more tense.

Part of him wondered if he should leave the ship and try to search for them or for Master Kenobi, but would that really help?

There was always the possibility that Master Billaba would need him to move the ship, and if he were to leave the ship, that would eliminate any chance they would have at a quick getaway.

No, Caleb needed to stay where he was, as much as he itched to leave, to do _something_.

"I hope they're alright," he whispered, leaning forward to cup his chin in his hands. He stared out of the viewport, sighing softly.

For now, he would have to wait.

* * *

All he felt was pain.

Obi-Wan gasped, eyes flying open as a hand slapped across his cheek. He coughed, feeling blood dribble down his chin as Tatooine's bright sky and sands seemed to merge into an orange-yellow blur.

"Stay awake, _Kenobi_."

Another slap across his cheek, and Obi-Wan groaned, forcing his eyes open.

"Stop it!" Ahsoka cried, struggling to get to her feet, but Savage easily held her down, a few feet away from Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan forced in a deep breath between tightly clenched teeth. He couldn't reach for the Force without feeling it crush painfully over his mind, overwhelming and bright and _too much_.

So he just focused on breathing.

When his vision cleared, Obi-Wan looked down, where the vibroblade was still stabbed into his stomach. Maul stood directly in front of him, yellow eyes shining ferociously and furiously in the light of Tatooine's twin suns.

Savage continued holding Ahsoka down. She remained kneeling on the ground, wrists still cuffed, still cut off from the Force.

Maul growled. "You killed my brother," he hissed.

Obi-Wan took in a shaky breath, swallowing a mouthful of blood. "You killed mine," he rasped, and he pitched forward as a wave of pain crashed into his mind, overwhelming his frayed shields.

 _Feemor…I'm so sorry._

"I may have let your Padawan survive earlier, but now you give me no choice," Maul continued, his voice sending shivers down Obi-Wan's spine.

"You have taken _enough_ from me, Kenobi."

The Force screeched a warning that rang painfully in Obi-Wan's ears as Maul ignited his lightsaber, blood-red against the brightness of Tatooine's suns.

Obi-Wan gasped again, looking directly at Ahsoka, who struggled more in Savage's grip, but to no avail.

"No," Obi-Wan whispered between heavy breaths, and he coughed again, feeling an intense wave of dizziness crash into him as the vibroblade continued shifting, blood quickly staining the cloth around it. " _Please_."

Maul ignored him, instead turning to face Ahsoka, who had stopped struggling and was now staring defiantly up at Maul for a few long moments. Then, her eyes moved away and fixed directly onto Obi-Wan's.

"Master," she said quickly, voice trembling. "Tell Anakin—tell Anakin that I—"

In a single savage movement, Maul brought his lightsaber forward and thrusted it into the middle of Ahsoka's chest, right where Obi-Wan knew her heart was.

Ahsoka let out a choked gasp, eyes widening fractionally, mouth still half-open.

There was a moment of nothingness—everything remained still. Obi-Wan found himself unable to move, as though he was frozen in time, and it seemed as though time itself had stopped.

Then, Maul slid the lightsaber out, and Ahsoka's body fell sideways, unmoving.

The Force _shattered_.

Renewed pain crashed into Obi-Wan's senses as the one bond keeping his mind together broke into a million pieces, the shattered remnants immediately ravaging into his mind, leaving agony in their wake.

He had felt this exactly once before, nearly thirteen years ago, when Qui-Gon had died—the first time.

Back then, his mind was able to take the damage because it was healthy and whole, unbroken by loss and pain and illness.

Now…now everything was different.

Obi-Wan choked, and the Force seemed to stab itself inwards. His vision turned white as the shock of that pain overwhelmed him, ears ringing so loudly that he couldn't even hear Maul or Savage anymore.

He distantly felt something pull out of his stomach, and then the darkness crashed into the white as he let out a scream, unable to hold it back any longer.

" _Finally, I win,_ " a voice whispered, and then he knew no more.

* * *

"This is hopeless, Billaba."

Shaking her head, Depa brought her macrobinoculars up to her face.

"No, they're here—they _have_ to be," Depa replied, voice shaking. She turned slowly, scanning her surroundings for movement or for anything that would lead her towards Obi-Wan or Ahsoka.

"We're going in circles, and we haven't found them," Ventress continued, voice quiet. "Maul must have taken them off-planet, or…"

Depa shook her head again and pulled the binoculars away.

So much had changed— _too_ much—since she had woken up from her coma, and a part of her was still reeling from the shock of it all. Obi-Wan was the one who grounded her, who told her what had happened and understood exactly how she felt.

But now Obi-Wan was in danger and needed her help. She couldn't face the possibility of him joining the Force after _everything_ that had happened.

Therefore, Depa was going to find him and Ahsoka and bring them back to the Temple.

It was as simple as that.

In that exact moment, she felt it. A flicker of a presence reaching out to her in the Force. If she hadn't been reaching out already, expanding her senses outwards as far as she possibly could, she wouldn't have sensed it.

 _Obi-Wan?_

It barely felt like anything, like something brushing lightly against her Force presence before it retreated, as though it was never there in the first place.

But it was all she needed.

"What is it?"

Depa blinked, looking up at Ventress, who was looking back at her with confusion shining in her eyes.

"It's Obi-Wan," Depa replied, and she immediately spun around and sprinted to where she knew her friend was. Ventress let out a sigh and followed.

As they raced through Tatooine's shifting sands, Depa heard Ventress' footsteps pounding behind her, almost urgently. The Force roared in her ears, her heart thrumming rapidly in her collarbone. Sand flew around everywhere as her feet sank with each determined step, almost in an attempt to slow her down.

Depa _refused_ to be slowed down.

Obi-Wan needed her. It was as simple as that.

She was so focused on running, on getting to her friend as fast as possible, that she didn't realized that she had tripped on something until she had landed on her side with a shocked gasp, spitting sand out of her mouth.

Ventress came to an abrupt stop behind her and let out a laugh. "What was that?" the Dathomirian witch asked. "We don't have time to take a break—why did you take off like that?"

Ignoring Ventress, Depa turned to look at what it was she had tripped on.

There was a lump in the sand, or rather, _on_ the sand.

The Force screeched in urgency, and Depa's blood froze in her veins.

There was an unmoving figure laying facedown on the sand. She hadn't seen it because the person's robes seemed to blend in with the sands, almost like…

A Jedi.

 _Obi-Wan_.

Scrambling forward, Depa placed both hands on his shoulders and rolled Obi-Wan over so that he lay on his back. She froze.

Obi-Wan's face was bruised and bloody, nearly unrecognizable. His eyes were half-lidded, breaths coming in painful-sounding wheezes that made Depa wince with sympathy.

Then, she saw the rapidly-growing large bloodstain on his tunic, from what appeared to be a deep stab wound.

Cursing, Depa took off her cloak and bunched it up, immediately pressing it onto Obi-Wan's middle. Obi-Wan jerked and gasped in response, eyes fluttering.

Out of the corner of her eye, Depa saw Ventress pause, looking at something a few feet away, before she let out a savage curse, breaking off into a run.

The Force sobbed.

Depa watched, horrified, as Ventress knelt down, pulling a limp arm up to her shoulder.

 _Padawan Tano._

Ahsoka's eyes were still open, sending shivers down Depa's spine. A gruesome hole sat in the center of her unmoving chest, her death echoing painfully into the Force.

In her arms, Obi-Wan let out another wheeze, and Depa reached for him in the Force, remembering what he told her about his own mind, about the damage that he had already taken in from Qui-Gon's death all those years ago.

Depa recoiled immediately, shocked to feel that beyond the shattered shields lay a mind so fractured and destroyed that it was a wonder that Obi-Wan was still alive.

"We're too late," Ventress breathed, bowing her head in grief. She knelt, carefully propping Ahsoka's body against her knees, before she reached a hand up to Ahsoka's eyes and slipped them closed.

"If only I was faster," the Dathomirian witch murmured. "I…I am sorry, Tano."

A moment's silence, then Obi-Wan let out another wheezed exhale, blood dripping out of his mouth.

 _He's losing a lot of blood—and quickly._

Still keeping Ahsoka's body propped up with one hand, Ventress placed her free hand on the sand next to her, closing her eyes.

"They didn't get far," Ventress murmured, brows furrowed. "We can still find them before they get away."

Depa looked up, maintaining the pressure of her cloak as it seemed to rapidly soak up more and more blood. Obi-Wan's face was drenched with sweat, and in the Force, he appeared to be drifting somewhere in the middle of consciousness and unconsciousness.

"No," Depa said firmly. "We need to get to the nearest medical station or back to the Temple, as soon as—"

"And what about Padawan Tano?"

Depa blinked, bowing her head as she looked at the Togruta's unmoving body once again. Ahsoka would have a proper Jedi funeral as soon as they returned to the Temple. The thought was horrifying.

 _After everything that has happened, Ahsoka did not deserve this._

 _Neither of them do._

"You know that Kenobi would want us to find them. For Ahsoka," Ventress insisted. "You know that this is the right thing to do."

Another broken wheeze from Obi-Wan's parted lips, and his Force presence flickered dangerously, unstable and fractured.

 _Oh, Force, this is bad…this is much worse than I thought it would be._

"I…" Depa sighed, slumping slightly as she looked down at Obi-Wan again. His breaths were shallower, more uneven than before. As she pressed the cloak down on his stomach, she could feel something shifting inside—broken ribs, possibly? She couldn't tell.

"Tell the kid to fly over here," Ventress said, gesturing towards Depa's commlink. "You can go to a medical station, or back to your Temple."

"And what about you?" Depa asked, shifting slightly so she was sitting more comfortably.

"I'm going to follow them," Ventress replied, standing up again. "You know Kenobi would want this."

 _I do, but…_

"Very well," Depa said softly, voice cracking.

Ventress let out a sigh and nodded, pulling Ahsoka's body fully into her arms before she stood. The Padawan's head lolled backwards, lekku dangling lifelessly from the movement. Ventress took a few steps forward and knelt down next to Depa, carefully placing Ahsoka's body next to Depa.

"May the Force be with you," Ventress murmured softly. Then, she looked at Depa. "I must go. I will contact you if I get any leads."

Depa nodded slowly. "Be safe, Ventress."

The Nightsister nodded, and before Ventress could say anything else, she left.

Keeping one hand firmly on the cloak pressed to Obi-Wan's stomach, Depa dialed the ship's frequency, fingers trembling.

" _Dume here."_

"Caleb," Depa croaked. "I need a pick-up, right away. Come to my location."

A moment of silence, then— _"On the way, Master Billaba."_

The commlink disconnected, and Depa sat back with a sigh. Closing her eyes, she reached into the Force for Obi-Wan's presence, noticing that it was barely managing to stay afloat.

 _He's dying._

 _No, there must be something I can do._

"Stay with me, Obi-Wan," she whispered, and she _pulled_ , latching her own presence onto Obi-Wan's in hopes of providing some sort of a stable point for him.

"Just hold on for a few moments," Depa continued, speaking aloud and into the Force. "I know it's difficult, but you must."

Another broken exhale from the man she held in her arms. At this point, her hands and the sleeves of her robes were covered with blood, but it didn't matter.

All that mattered was Obi-Wan staying alive.

" _Stay with me_ ," she whispered again, and in the distance she saw the ship speeding towards them, closing her eyes in gratitude as it landed right before her.

 _Stay with me_.

* * *

It happened as soon as Anakin left the Temple.

The Force shifted and then _screamed_ directly into his mind.

So he screamed back into the Coruscant traffic, nearly crashing into the speeder in front of him.

He had never felt a Force bond break before, but he'd heard what it was like from a few Jedi when he was in the Order. Obi-Wan had never told him what to expect, but…he still knew.

With trembling hands, he turned the speeder around and raced back to the Temple, heart pounding in his chest.

As soon as he landed in the emergency hangar, Anakin closed his eyes and dived into the Force, fearing the worst.

His bond with Obi-Wan—now reduced to a withering thing, barely noticeable compared to what it was years ago—lay intact, though it was laced with a terrible pain that made Anakin immediately recoil from it.

 _But that means…_

Tentatively, he reached for the only other bond he had—the one he still had with Ahsoka, even after he had left the Order.

"No," he whispered, voice trembling, and tears slipped out of his eyes, down his cheeks.

For as he reached for his former Padawan, Anakin felt pain spike into his senses, a brokenness stabbing into his mind, nearly crushing and overwhelming him.

And more than that, he couldn't reach Ahsoka. There was just the jagged and broken ends of the bond, leading off into nowhere.

"No!" he screamed, and there were voices surrounding him, hands reaching comfortingly for his arms.

Anakin opened his eyes to see Master Windu and Master Yoda standing before him, faces twisted in solemn sorrow. Master Windu's hands gripped onto his upper arms, in a movement of strength and stability, along with deep regret.

"Ahsoka's dead," he gasped between heavy breaths, tears rolling down his face. "I—she's _dead_!"

His voice cracked, and an intense wave of dizziness crashed into him. He saw Master Windu's mouth move, but he couldn't hear anything over the ringing in his ears.

The Force keened and cried, broken at the seams.

"I'm—" Anakin gasped, barely noticing the speeder door open, not even registering when Master Windu pulled him out and sat him down next to the speeder. The two Jedi Masters sat on either side of him, warm and stable.

"What have I done?" Anakin shouted, not even caring about how his companions responded. "I—" He screamed on and on into the hangar's echoing emptiness, voice shattered and broken.

He felt the clawed hand of Master Yoda rest on his leg.

"Rest, you must, young Skywalker," the ancient Jedi said, and a powerful Force suggestion unexpectedly bowled its way into Anakin's mind, catching him completely off-guard.

Before he knew it, everything faded away and he slumped sideways, fast asleep.

* * *

Caleb stared at the deep blue lines of hyperspace, stunned into silence.

As soon as he landed the ship near Master Billaba's location, the Jedi Master had rushed into the ship, holding a bloodied and broken body close to her chest and holding another body in the air with the Force, immediately rushing into the small bedroom in the back of the ship.

Dread had set into his stomach at that exact moment, and it hadn't left, even now.

The discovery that Master Kenobi was so badly injured— _dying_ —and, even worse, the fact that Padawan Tano had actually joined the Force was overwhelming.

Padawan Tano had always been someone Caleb looked up to—she was Skywalker's padawan, the one who always knew what to do, even in the face of overwhelming odds. She'd faced down droids, Separatists, Sith Lords, even Darth Sidious himself.

So Caleb couldn't help but think that the Togruta Padawan was somewhat invincible, which was a ridiculous notion, considering that no one actually was.

He just never thought he'd see Ahsoka's dead body, a terribly gruesome hole ripped into the center of her chest.

A lightsaber wound.

But the Sith were supposed to be gone—weren't they?

Caleb shivered, wrapping his robe tightly around himself.

Master Billaba had been in the back room since they left, tending to Master Kenobi nonstop. Apparently his heart had stopped a few times already, and the half-functioning medical droid on the ship was providing little help.

Caleb didn't know how to help—he wasn't even a Padawan. He didn't really belong here, and now he found himself completely useless, barely managing to pilot the ship out of Tatooine and sending the ship into hyperspace, at Master Billaba's instruction.

Ever since then, he found himself stunned into silence, barely able to understand what had just happened.

The door behind him slid open, and he turned around, heart pounding in his chest.

Master Billaba was a gruesome sight—both of her hands and sleeves were stained with dark red blood, her face was pale, and there was a fragility to her presence that reminded Caleb that she had only just woken up from a coma a few weeks ago.

"Master?" he said softly, desperately keeping his voice from shaking.

Master Billaba blinked, eyes watering. She let out a sigh and stepped forwards, nearly collapsing into the chair next to Caleb.

"Master Kenobi is stable for now," she said, voice cracking. "How long until we reach Coruscant? I'm afraid I lost track of time for a bit."

Caleb stood up on shaky legs, moving to the console in the middle of the pilot's and copilot's seat.

"Ten standard hours," he replied, turning around to look at Master Billaba, whose eyes were distant, seemingly far, far away from the ship.

She nodded absently, and Caleb moved back to his seat, sitting down silently.

He wanted to ask, he so desperately wanted to know, but a part of him _didn't_ want to know. The Force felt completely broken to him, almost beyond the point of recognition.

But his curiosity won out.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked finally.

Master Billaba sighed softly, closing her eyes.

"We were too late," she explained. "Maul and his brothers got to them before we arrived. They killed Padawan Tano."

Caleb bowed his head. He assumed that was what happened, but to hear it now made it all the more true, and…

"I am sorry, Caleb," Master Billaba whispered. "I should not have brought you along, but I did anyways because…" She swallowed.

Caleb found himself unsure of what to say, so he remained silent.

"You are the reason I woke up, Caleb," she continued. "Not even my own Master or the Healers could wake me—do you understand what I'm saying?"

Caleb blinked, tilting his head.

Master Billaba let out a watery sigh. "The reason you are here, Caleb, is because I would like you to become my Padawan."

His throat went completely dry.

"I meant to ask you later," Master Billaba continued, voice trembling. "I—I wanted to wait. But, after this, after seeing what has happened to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, I know that I cannot wait any longer. A Jedi must be patient, but I cannot wait, and for that, I am sorry."

Caleb watched as she stood, swaying slightly, before she walked directly in front of him and kneeled so that she was speaking directly to him.

"Caleb Dume," Master Billaba said, voice shaking. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my Padawan?"

* * *

"Senator Amidala?"

Padmé blinked, looking up from her notes to see Dormé standing in the doorway of her office, eyes bright.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Jedi Master Windu would like to speak to you privately," her handmaiden said, holding up a flashing commlink.

"Very well," Padmé responded, reaching for the commlink, though she was surprised. Ever since the Jedi had left the Senate and began to operate on their own, Padmé rarely—if ever—received communications from any of them, besides Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.

 _Something happened_.

Dormé smiled at her and bowed before leaving the office.

She pressed a button, and the flickering form of Master Windu arose, his face pulled into a deep frown.

"Master Windu," she greeted, nodding her head.

"Senator Amidala," he replied. "You may want to come to the Temple as soon as you are able."

Padmé swallowed as a wave of dread washed over her. "Why?" she asked, heart pounding. She rested a hand on her stomach, taking comfort in the presence of her children, warm and _alive_.

"There was an incident," Master Windu said, and his face crumpled slightly. "Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano has been killed. Your husband is suffering from a case of psychic backlash from the loss, and we are currently treating him at the Temple."

Padmé's mouth went completely dry. She swallowed.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "What happened?"

"He must not have cut off his bond with Padawan Tano before leaving the Order," the Jedi Master explained, but Padmé was already shaking her head.

"No," she said, "I mean, what happened to Ahsoka? Is Obi-Wan alright?"

A long silence, then Master Windu closed his eyes. "It is best to speak to you in person regarding these matters," he replied.

Padmé nodded slowly, too stunned to say anything else.

"Very well," she croaked, and immediately cut off the connection.

Tears immediately rolled down her cheeks, and she made no move to stop them.

"Oh, Ahsoka," she murmured, bowing her head in deep sadness. "May the Force be with you."

* * *

 **A/N:** *exhales*

I am really sorry.

I will try not to take six months with the next chapter, since I kinda get the feeling that I left this chapter in a pretty bad spot, compared to the previous one.

Anyways, thank you for reading, and _please_ read something fluffy after this! Take care of yourselves!

Thanks :)


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hello, and welcome back! Just a quick note before I send you off to read: just like the previous chapter, this chapter will deal intensely with an unexpected death and the aftermath of loss. It will be quite heavy to read, so please be prepared, and as always, take care of yourselves.

Enjoy!

* * *

Waking up was complete and utter hell.

Anakin's eyes flew open with a gasp, and the Force reeled painfully in his mind, scraping over the broken bond, an immediate reminder of what had happened when he was last conscious.

Ahsoka was dead.

"Anakin?"

Padmé's voice was full of quiet concern. He turned to see his wife sitting at his bedside, her hand resting on his mech hand.

It was at that exact moment that he realized that he was in the Jedi Temple's Halls of Healing, which made little sense since he wasn't a Jedi anymore. Anakin couldn't even remember how he got here—all he remembered was the Force screaming and screaming in his mind as the bond shattered in his mind.

"Padmé," he whispered, feeling tears drip out of his eyes, sliding down his cheeks.

His wife leaned forward, gently wiping them away.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, bowing her head. "I am so sorry, Anakin."

Anakin closed his eyes.

"Is—is Obi-Wan alright?" he croaked.

If _this_ was how he felt right now, he couldn't imagine what Obi-Wan was going through after so much loss and devastation.

How did he even _get_ through any of it?

"I don't know the details, Ani," Padmé replied, "but I believe someone found him on Tatooine and is bringing him back to the Temple."

Opening his eyes again, Anakin sighed, staring up at the ceiling. His eyes watered as light filtered into his vision.

"I miss her," he said, and his voice cracked, feeling a fresh wave of grief wash over him.

"I know," she whispered as she stood up and carefully sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"I miss her _so_ much."

And with that, Anakin cracked, giving in to the overwhelming urge to sob. He allowed his head to fall into Padmé's lap, feeling her stroke his hair with soft words, as he cried and cried and cried.

"I know, Ani," she whispered. "I know."

* * *

As soon as they broke into Coruscant's atmosphere, Master Kenobi stopped breathing.

Caleb watched with wide eyes as his Master leapt to her feet and raced into the back room, telling Caleb to land the ship and to have the Healers come prepared to the hangar.

He wanted nothing more than to come back and help her keep Master Kenobi alive, but he understood the necessity of flying the ship and contacting the Temple.

The faster they got to the Temple, the faster the Healers could help Master Kenobi.

It was as simple as that.

Upon contacting the Temple, Caleb sped the ship through Coruscant's everlasting traffic, blatantly ignoring traffic laws in favor of getting to the Temple as quickly as possible. Other drivers honked and cursed at him loudly, but he ignored them.

He had never felt more relief as when he approached the Temple's emergency hangar, seeing a crowd of Healers standing with two stretchers. As he got closer, he could see Masters Windu and Yoda standing among them, faces twisted in terrible sorrow.

 _The Temple is mourning_.

The ship landed, and without even turning off the engine, Caleb spun around and raced into the back room.

The sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks.

Master stood over Master Kenobi, tears openly running down her face, openly crying over the harsh ringing of the vitals monitor. Her bloodied hands shook as she pressed down on Kenobi's chest, but the efforts seemed to be futile.

In the Force, she was breaking down.

"Master?" he whispered, but it seemed like she didn't hear him.

Master Kenobi was unnaturally still, face pale and bloodied. The bandages hastily wrapped around his middle were blood-soaked, giving off the distinct coppery smell of human blood.

Caleb turned away from the sight, scrunching his nose, as his eyes fell onto the sight of Padawan Tano.

Ahsoka's eyes were closed, as though she was merely sleeping. In fact, Caleb would have thought she was sleeping, were it not for the hole in the center of her chest.

He choked, falling to his knees as the door behind him slid open. Over the ringing in his ears, he barely heard someone say his name before his arms were gently pulled, taking him away from the room, away from the ship.

Caleb couldn't seem to make sense of what exactly happened next. All he knew was that the next thing he knew, he was sitting on a crate in the hangar, staring up at Master Eerin's bright, concerned eyes.

"Master Eerin?"

"You should stay here, Caleb," she said, voice cracking.

The Force shuddered, and he looked off to the side, where he saw a crowd of Healers gathered around a stretcher, suddenly frozen in place, as death rang into the Force once again.

A pale, bloodied hand slipped off the stretcher.

Caleb watched with wide eyes as the Healers backed away, heads bowed in sorrow, in loss.

Master Eerin let out a ragged gasp, running towards the stretcher. Caleb scrambled to his feet and followed on numb legs, too stunned to speak.

Master Kenobi's body lay atop the stretcher, unmoving. His eyes were half-open, glazed and unseeing. The dried trials of blood running out of his nose and mouth were a stark red compared to the whiteness of his face.

"No," Master Eerin breathed, shaking her head, hands pressed over her mouth. "Obi, _no_!"

And she fell to her knees with a great sob, chest heaving.

Caleb bowed his head in grief, unable to do much else in the wake of such terrible loss.

After all, the Jedi Order had just suffered the loss of _both_ Master and Padawan.

* * *

Anakin felt the Force shatter, and his blood went cold.

He lifted his head, and Padmé shifted away, shock painted on her features.

"Anakin?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Death clapped into the Force, and Anakin gasped, reeling forward, feeling Padmé's hands latch onto his upper arms.

"No," he whispered, voice trembling.

Obi-Wan was _gone_. Anakin felt the bond break, a quiet _snap_ compared to when he felt his bond with Ahsoka shatter.

The death ringing in the Force was coming from close-by. Shaking his head, Anakin shoved the covers off of his lap, stumbling to his feet, ignoring the intense wave of dizziness that came with the sudden movement.

"Anakin, what happened?" Padmé asked, pulling herself to her feet, a hand resting on her stomach.

" _Obi-Wan_ ," he breathed, and Anakin _ran_.

He barely could see a few feet in front of him, stumbling crazily through the Halls of the Ward until he managed to find its exit. All Anakin was able to do was follow the trail of death the Force left for him, like a trail of morbid clues.

He raced through the Temple's corridors like a madman focused on a single mission: _life_.

He would not lose Obi-Wan—not after Ahsoka's death, not after _everything_ that had happened.

"No, no, no," he panted as he ran, the Temple spinning dizzily around him, confusing and terrible.

The Force guided him, urging him on and on.

He was not too late—he _couldn't_ be.

As he finally emerged into a hangar and spotted the crowd standing near the back, Anakin pumped his arms and legs faster, refusing to be slowed down now that Obi-Wan was in sight.

The sight of Obi-Wan on the stretcher shocked Anakin so much that he nearly fell to his knees and gagged. Swallowing bile, Anakin shoved his way through the crowd until he stood next to Obi-Wan, staring down at him.

Obi-Wan's middle was a mess of blood and robes and bandages, some of the blood still easily flowing through the stained cloth. His face was bloodied—his beard and mustache redder than normal, completely soaked, and his eyes glassy.

A horrid sight.

Anakin swallowed back another mouthful of bile, heart thudding in his chest.

Obi-Wan's red, unseeing eyes stared up at him, his mouth slightly open.

His chest didn't move—there was no whisper of life, _nothing_.

The Force wrenched out a cry, ringing painfully in Anakin's ears.

Anakin felt as though he was back in Palpatine's office, staring down at his Master's broken body, a cruel reminder of his failure in the past to save Obi-Wan.

It had been his fault, then, and this was his fault now.

" _No_ ," he whispered.

He will _not_ lose Obi-Wan. Not like this.

Closing his eyes, Anakin placed both of his hands on Obi-Wan's chest and looked up towards the ceiling, reaching mightily into the Force.

The Force responded to his call, sending electricity into his body.

Voices whispered into his mind, encouraging him, sending strength back into his veins.

Anakin took a deep breath, and then another, letting the Force breathe for him, letting it dictate his every move.

The world swirled around him in bright colors, inexplicably terrible and beautiful at the same time.

And when he spoke, he heard the voices echoing along with him, almost in agreement.

" _Live."_

Something shifted under his hands, and a ragged wheeze filled the air.

Anakin opened his eyes to see Obi-Wan's eyes fluttering shut, a quiet cough escaping his dried and bloodied lips.

Then, Anakin's knees buckled as everything turned black.

* * *

Depa couldn't remember much of what happened between landing at the Temple's emergency hangar and waking up in the Halls of Healing about an hour later.

Upon waking, however, she found herself almost completely drained, scraped out and hollow.

She felt…empty.

She did everything she could to save Obi-Wan, but it wasn't enough. She felt him slip away into the Force.

It was only by the will of the Force that Anakin Skywalker had been in the Temple as the ship landed and had come by quick enough to somehow revive Obi-Wan.

From what she heard from Bant, it was quite the sight to behold.

Shifting slowly on the bunk, Depa sat up, rubbing at her eyes.

She felt so off-kilter, unbalanced—it was a reminder of what had happened to her…before.

Depa thought she would be able to move past Haruun Kal. Grievous had broken her in more ways than she thought, and as much as she wanted to go back to how she was before, she couldn't.

Everything ached, in that slow, terrible way that made her wish she had never gone to Tatooine in the first place.

It was so obvious, in hindsight.

It should have been someone else—someone who wasn't damaged, broken to the core like she was.

Maybe then Ahsoka Tano would have survived, and Obi-Wan would not be suffering so much, still lingering somewhere between life and death.

It was all her fault.

"Master?"

Depa blinked slowly, not even noticing when her vision had begun to blur, her eyelids so heavy. At the sound of the voice, she focused on the doorway, where Caleb stood, head tilted.

"Caleb," she breathed, and the boy rushed forward to her bedside, his warm hands grabbing at her right wrist.

"Master," he repeated, eyes bright, his presence warm and radiant in the Force. "Are you alright?"

 _No, I'm not._

"I haven't been acting like myself," Depa murmured, voice cracking slightly. "I am sorry if I have worried you, Caleb."

Caleb was already shaking his head, blue eyes wide and desperate. His presence in the Force was bright and soothing, reminding her of how much potential he had to become an incredible Jedi.

She would not stand in the way of that.

"No, Master, with everything that just happened, it makes sense—"

"I will understand, Caleb, if you wish to train under someone else," Depa murmured, momentarily closing her eyes as her vision blurred. "Someone who is more centered, who would be able to guide you much better than I ever will."

When she opened her eyes, Depa saw Caleb staring at her incredulously, eyes wide.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, voice shaking. "I don't want someone else. Did you—did you change your mind, Master Billaba?"

The look on Caleb's face, along with the confusion and desperate misery he sent out into the Force, was enough to cause Depa's heart to ache.

"You deserve better than me," she whispered, bowing her head as tears slipped out of her eyes.

"There _is_ no one better than you," Caleb insisted, "and I am staying as your Padawan, if you'll allow me, Master."

The Force echoed his words in her mind, reaffirming and calm.

"Well, then," she said, and her voice cracked. She cleared her throat, willing the tears back. "We'd better go ahead and inform the Council."

Her Padawan smiled, the sun breaking out of the clouds after a long, terrible storm, immediately lifting her spirits.

Maybe, just maybe, there would be something _good_ coming from all of this.

* * *

Resisting the urge to pace around the empty room, Padmé fidgeted, wondering if she should get up and try to find her way to her husband.

When Anakin raced out of the room earlier, she wanted to follow. But there was something in the back of her mind, telling her to stay and wait.

Besides, she knew that she couldn't run after Anakin without getting lost in the Temple's winding corridors.

Padmé didn't know exactly how long she sat and waited for Anakin or at least _someone_ to return. Eventually, she found herself reflecting on everything had just happened.

In the past two hours, she'd learned that Ahsoka was killed while on a mission to Tatooine. Based on the way Anakin reacted as he was racing out of the room, Obi-Wan had either already followed suit or was on the verge of doing so.

In one quick sweep, her husband was going to lose two of the most important people in his life.

She couldn't even begin to comprehend what Anakin must have been feeling, especially since the last conversation he had with Obi-Wan before the mission hadn't exactly gone well.

This was too much—after everything that had happened, Padmé never thought that Ahsoka would be gone. She was the constant, the one who came to Padmé and told her that she wanted Anakin and Obi-Wan to talk to each other once again. She was the one who wanted them to become _brothers_ again.

And now, Ahsoka would never see that come to light. Her Masters would remain horribly separated, broken by their past, driven further and further away without Ahsoka to bring them together.

A tear slipped down Padmé's cheek, followed by another. She rubbed at it, closing her eyes.

 _This is—this is awful._

The sound of quiet footsteps broke her away from her thoughts. Padmé shook her head and looked up at the doorway, where Master Windu stood next to a hoverstretcher.

Anakin was unconscious, or fast asleep, lying on his side on the stretcher.

"What happened?" she asked, carefully pulling herself to her feet, as the Jedi Master brought the stretcher into the room, carefully moving Anakin back onto the bed.

Master Windu exhaled slowly, turning to look directly at her. His eyes were dark, exhaustion swirling deep in their depths. There was a hint of sadness in the set of his shoulders—a sight that seemed to resonate with the sadness Padmé felt deep within herself

 _How could all of this have happened?_

The Jedi Master sighed, moving to sit next to her.

"Senator," he began heavily, "this is information that I would prefer to stay within the Order, at least until we can make a public statement."

"You know I won't say anything," Padmé replied softly. She couldn't even imagine telling anyone about what had happened; it was too awful to repeat.

Master Windu nodded, eyes glancing at Anakin for a brief moment.

"I sent Master Kenobi and Padawan Tano to Tatooine to track down the missing members of my squadron," he began. "We lost contact with them early on, but I expected that we would hear from them again soon."

Padmé nodded; she'd heard his from Anakin, who had been told by Ahsoka before she left for Tatooine. Anakin had lost contact with Ahsoka not long after she left, but Padmé knew that to be a common occurrence for Jedi missions.

She never thought that it would lead to this.

Master Windu let out a sigh and sat down in the chair next to her, motioning her to sit down as well.

"At around the same time Skywalker began to get his visions, Asajj Ventress came to the Temple. She was looking for Obi-Wan," he continued.

"Why?"

The Jedi Master's eyes flickered with a deep emotion, and for a moment, Padmé felt as though she was intruding on something deeply personal.

 _He feels responsible._

"Master Windu, why did Ventress need to speak to Obi-Wan?" she repeated, voice trembling.

Windu let out a slow breath, his eyes flickering to look at Anakin's still form again before turning back to face Padmé.

"You remember the Sith Lord from the Battle of Naboo," he said softly. It wasn't a question—it was a statement.

An image of the red-and-black monstrosity from over a deacde ago flickered into her mind. She'd only managed to catch a glimpse of the Sith Lord, right before she and her people split up with the Jedi, leaving Obi-Wan and Master Jinn to face the Sith alone.

"Yes," she replied.

She also knew from Anakin's explanation that the Qui-Gon Jinn who faced the Sith Lord was the one who came to this time and then returned to sacrifice himself for his Padawan.

She remembered the aftermath of the battle, the fleeting feeling of victory, of being able to take her palace back, to return Naboo to the hands of its people.

Then came reality.

Racing through the bowels of Theed palace's hangar, Padmé eventually had found her way to one of the core reactor rooms, where she discovered the Jedi.

Swallowing, Padmé pulled herself out of the memory, focusing back onto the conversation.

"Obi-Wan killed him." Her voice quavered at the sight of Windu bowing his head, almost in deep sorrow. "Right? That was what happened. I found him afterwards, and the Sith was gone because he fell into the core."

Master Windu took another deep breath, as though he was trying to determine what to say next.

"The reason Asajj Ventress came to the Temple was because she discovered that Darth Maul was alive."

Coldness surged into her veins, and nausea rushed into her senses, coiling deep in her stomach. She pressed a hand to her stomach, reminding herself of the two bright lives residing within her. They were the future— _her_ future.

"Ventress told Master Billaba, and they set out to Tatooine to warn Obi-Wan, without notifying the Council." Master Windu plowed forward when Padmé didn't immediately reply, his eyebrows set in a deep frown.

"They arrived too late."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Padmé sat back in her chair, forcing herself to breathe through her nose.

"I can't believe it," she whispered. "They just…Ahsoka had no part in the Battle of Naboo; she was only a _child_."

The Jedi Master didn't reply except to sink back into his seat slightly.

Shaking her head, Padmé struggled to get the whirling emotions inside of her under control, knowing that logic and a clear mind would be the only way to support Anakin when he would wake up.

"Master Billaba found Obi-Wan and brought him back. She managed to keep him alive until the very end of the trip."

"Obi-Wan's dead?" she whispered, voice trembling.

That would explain Anakin's reaction before he raced out of the room earlier. He had been devastated, tears running freely down his cheeks, voice hollow and terrible.

This was all too much to bear.

"Skywalker revived him," Master Windu said simply. "The Healers are working to stabilize him before putting him in a bacta tank. We expect that he will recover in time."

Padmé shook her head.

She was the one who discovered Obi-Wan right after he had lost his Master, years and years ago. Even now, she remembered seeing the grief and pain in his eyes, the _loss_.

Any mention of Qui-Gon Jinn in the years that followed seemed to bring back a similar type of despair in Obi-Wan Kenobi, as much as he desperately tried to hide it, even now.

"Physically," she said, voice shaking.

 _Not emotionally._

The Jedi Master sitting next to her gave a very quick, subtle nod. He then looked back at Anakin, studying him carefully.

"Skywalker managed to revive Obi-Wan," he said. "He collapsed right after—I suspect it took a lot out of him; it was quite the spectacle to watch."

Windu stood then, putting a reassuring hand on Padmé's shoulder. "He will be fine, if a little drained," he murmured. "A mind healer will come by later for assessment. The broken bond will need to be sealed before it's too late."

She nodded, swallowing slowly.

"I'm sorry, Senator," he said.

"I…I am sorry," she replied. "The Order has lost a truly bright light."

"I will leave you to be with your husband. May the Force be with you." Master Windu nodded again before pulling away and walking out of the room, leaving Padmé with her unconscious husband.

Grief crawled up into her throat, and she let out a quiet sob, pressing a hand over her mouth.

A gentle nudge from her stomach, as though her children _knew_ that something was wrong.

"Oh, I…" she murmured. "I love you, Luke, Leia. I wish…I hope you will be born in a world of happiness and Light, despite how everything is right now."

For a moment, Padmé almost felt as though she could feel their brightness, just reaching out to her somehow.

"I hope that everything will be alright before you arrive," Padmé whispered into the quiet air, voice shaking.

She wouldn't want Luke and Leia to be born into a world of broken despair, but of happiness and hope.

" _Please_."

* * *

In more ways than one, Mace Windu was completely and utterly exhausted. Telling Senator Amidala what happened had drained him, and he felt as though the Force would just sweep itself through him, taking his legs out from under him.

He felt as though he was falling and falling, but there was no ground rushing up to meet him.

The death of Padawan Tano was a staggering loss for the Order. Tano had been a bright spirit—reliable, strong, and persistent, refusing to give up on any task, no matter how difficult. She was the one who stabilized Obi-Wan after he woke up from his coma. She was the one who balanced Skywalker.

She was a _Jedi_ , and now she was gone.

Depa had told him everything that had happened, but he did not know what happened on Tatooine before Depa arrived. He still didn't know where his squadron was, and a part of him wished he'd never asked Obi-Wan to investigate.

If he hadn't, Tano would still be alive, and Obi-Wan would be alright.

He would have to get the full report from Obi-Wan, though he had no idea when that would be possible.

"Master Windu."

Mace blinked, glancing down at the form of Master Yoda standing a few feet away from him, head bowed. He stood by the corner of the hallway, eyes bright.

"Master," he rasped.

"Sit, you must," Yoda said gently, gesturing to one of the chairs nearby.

With two quick steps, Mace moved and sat down. The Grandmaster followed, seating himself next to Mace.

The Halls were quiet— _too_ quiet.

In one room lay Anakin Skywalker, a former-Jedi who had managed to bring balance to the Force. The Chosen One. Anakin Skywalker, a young man who had just lost someone extremely close to him, and, by almost a miracle, saved another.

Then there was Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had suffered and suffered so much more than Mace had imagined possible. He had gotten back up every single time, no matter how long it took. But now he couldn't help but wonder if _this_ would be the time that the Force was asking too much of Obi-Wan.

Sure, Obi-Wan was alive now because of Skywalker, but would he survive?

Would he be able to move beyond the loss of his Padawan, along with the realization that Maul was still out there, somewhere?

"A terrible day, this is."

"Yes, Master Yoda," Mace murmured, bowing his head. He needed stability, time to reflect and to gather himself. Soon, he would have to release a statement not only to the rest of the Order, but to the public.

Mace needed to be balanced, completely together.

"I need to meditate." His voice was quiet, raw and unfamiliar to his own ears.

Yoda hummed. "Alone, would you like to be?" he asked gently.

Mace shook his head slowly. He hadn't directly asked to meditate with Yoda in years—usually meditation by himself was sufficient, but right now he found himself thrown completely off-course, and with the exhaustion thrumming through his veins, he needed additional stability.

"Come, Master Windu," Master Yoda said, standing up once again. "Meditate, we will. Remember Padawan Tano, we must."

Mace followed Yoda out of the Halls, allowing for the Grandmaster's presence to guide his spirit.

* * *

"Ani?"

Anakin blinked, staring up at the ceiling of the room he was in earlier.

He must have been taken back to the Halls at some point while he was unconscious. That would explain why Padmé was sitting next to him, and why he couldn't remember anything after—

Anakin sat up suddenly, eyes wide.

"Obi-Wan?" he croaked, turning to his wife.

"The Healers are working on him," Padmé explained, placing a hand on his mech arm. "From what I hear, it's quite serious."

Anakin nodded, remembering the broken and bloodied figure that he saw in the hangar. He swallowed.

"It's bad," he whispered. "I…I brought him back, but I don't know if that will be enough."

"I know, Ani," Padmé murmured, voice shaking.

Anakin closed his eyes, allowing himself to focus on just breathing, on the presence of his wife, grounding him.

"Master Windu explained to me what happened. With Ahsoka and Obi-Wan," Padmé said, and Anakin opened his eyes again, turning to look at her. He swung his legs off the cot so that he sat facing her.

Padmé looked…frazzled. Her hair was swept up in a messy bun, her eyes were dark, and she was slumped in her seat, looking as though she was about to fall off. Anakin wanted nothing more than to leave and take her back home, to let her sleep properly and to lie down next to her, feeling Luke and Leia's presences brushing up against his mind.

They were…beautiful.

"What happened?" he asked. "How did—"

His voice cut off, as though something had just clamped itself over his throat.

 _How did Ahsoka die?_

He couldn't even bear to say the words aloud—it made Ahsoka's death true, and right now, he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge the truth.

A part of Anakin didn't want to accept that Ahsoka was gone, but he knew he had to. It was the only way he would be able to get through it with an intact mind.

If he had learned anything from everything with Palpatine and leaving the Order, it was that he couldn't turn himself away from reality.

He needed to face it.

"Tell me," he said, and the Force echoed his finality, ringing deeply in his mind.

Padmé nodded, and haltingly, she told him everything Master Windu had told her earlier. By the time she finished, Anakin was crying again, tears sliding down his cheeks as he shuddered and struggled to control himself.

This all seemed to be something out of a terrible dream—Anakin couldn't understand how it lead to this.

Maul's survival made little sense, though his quest for revenge made a _lot_ of sense. A part of Anakin—the part of him that listened to Palpatine and had turned away from the Jedi to the Dark—longed to follow Ventress on her quest to find Maul, and to _end_ him.

It would be so easy. Darth Maul had taken Qui-Gon and Ahsoka from him and even more from Obi-Wan.

But the logical part of him, the part of him that was still a Jedi, knew that he couldn't run off on a foolish quest for revenge.

Padmé needed him. Hell, Obi-Wan needed him, too. Their relationship was fractured and broken, but after Ahsoka's death, Anakin had no intentions of leaving Obi-Wan behind like this. He would need support, and Anakin would be there, no matter what.

For now, Obi-Wan would come first.

For Ahsoka.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! The next chapter will deal more with the aftermath of Ahsoka's death - I know this is all very intense and heavy, so please read some fluff or something that will make you happy! Take care of yourselves :)

See you next time!


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